FIFTH COLUMN

Academies galore

By Sushma

Going by the blaring and blazing sign-boards of academies that stare down and scream its virtues from many nooks and corners of the valley, it would be easy to mislead yourself that this valley is indeed a valley of academicians and academicians in making. 

A tiny academy on closer inspection turned out to be a day care cum primary school centre that held its fifty odd students in three tiny rooms. Each room consisted of a black board, tiny chairs and tables - all very well had it been free of the all pervasive stench of urine. Obviously, some tiny ones were not toilet trained and their outputs lay as evidence on the floor.

Running noses, tear stained cheeks, grubby hands all made a bee line for a tap outside in the small open area once the bell rang. The tiny hoard of the hot and thirsty humanity reached out impatiently for their turn at the plastic pipe that was connected to the tap above. A lady teacher in her early twenties shouted down at a tiny one for daring to wet his feet with the water. “Hey, it is for drinking only.” Minutes later, after the kids went back in, she happily splashed around in water, wet feet and all.

Now, it was time to check out the principal’s office. Gloomy faced, she was complaining about other teachers’ attitude and demands to a sympathetic ear. Then, a lady walks in asking what to teach her class. “Teach them colours today”, was the principal’s reply as she shoved a bunch of coloured crayons in the teacher’s hand. “Okay, then I will teach them red only today”, replied the younger one, choosing only the red crayons. The tiny tots must sure have learned a lot about red that lasted throughout one whole class of half an hour.

This was an inside view that may or may not correspond with other academies. Other academies have a good facade in terms of their dress code and a heavy bag to boot. A kid after a full day at such an academy gets tensed up about having to complete her huge load of homework, barely half an hour after she lands home. By the time she finishes her homework, it is nearly bed time. This would well be a concern for the parents who are proud of her tough schedule if they took the age old adage of all work and no play.... makes their child a dull one and a very bored and overloaded one at that.

One also wonders what razor’s edge another academy named the Gilette International academy has over others. Perhaps it is in keeping with the cut throat competition that is the game of the day.

Good education encourages over all development of one’s personality. Text book knowledge is only one part of education. Creativity, self discipline, compassion, humaneness are a few among other important things that need to be made a part and parcel of education. Aggressive advertisement with grand names may add to the list of the enrollers but would do little to enhance the quality of the output at the end of the term. A consumer may well discontinue the use of a product or not buy a product again if he/she is not satisfied with the performance of the product. But how many parents are aware enough or are assertive enough to find out about the state of affairs behind the colorful facades of their chidren’s schools, pardon me, academies - and make the right choice for their precious ones’ future? r