Why this kolaveri DI - the other side

1. I pondered over this for quite some time before uploading this as a cafe topic. The reason why I did this to elicit reactions from parents, teachers and others who also form part of the ikOlam membership. Let me start off the discussion.

2. I am actually familiar with the locale of the school. We lived in George Town during my school days and I studied in the SKPD Boys' High School, one of the only two Telugu schools for boys then (the other being the Kesari High School in Mylapore). We used to occasionally watch from outside the gate the St Mary boys practising boxing, etc. Unlike now, the number of rich people was less then and St Mary's was really exclusive in that sense.

3. I read many people commenting that it is due to bad upbringing by the parents that these things happen. I have seen two children of the same parents brought up in similar fashion. But one becomes responsible and the other does not. So while parenting may be partly true, it is only one aspect. First of all, nobody wants to be a bad parent.

4. I also read that children are not punished nowadays. I would like to inform that corporal punishment is not a solution. It becomes another problem. See today's research news at http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/spanking-kids-can-cause-long-term-harm-canada-study

5. One cannot throw the blame on teachers as except in rare cases, the teacher is not given such a high place in society. May be people offer words of praise which is of no use. Their salaries, compared to other professions, are low still. I am very familiar with this as I presided over the university faculty association struggling to improve the pay. Even granting for the cost of living adjustments, my first salary in the university was Rs 480 with a doctoral degree in science

6. There is absolutely no encouragement for creativity and research. This is true even in this country. Respect is given in society only to people who have money and/or power. The teacher has neither.

7. With news of corruption in the political circles, sex scandals, and movie actors and millionaire sport stars making the news, where is the role model for the young mind?

8. Education itself has become a rat race for grades and marks to obtain seats in professional colleges and banks, or promotions or to go abroad, etc. Where is the interest in obtaining knowledge? I still remember how some teacher turned MPhil students used to resent grading with the remark "You are a teacher and I am a teacher. Who are you to grade me?"

9. How as a society must we react? That is the fundamental question. It would be interesting to throw more light on this as many of you are in the centre of the storm.

Regards! - mOhana