Something happened in Gujranwala some days ago that was not
as impactful as the killing of Russian ambassador to Turkey and was not as
delightful as Saif and Kareena having a baby boy. In Gujranwala, some sixth
grade student attempted suicide in his school after facing repeated insult at
the hands of his parents and teacher for his bad academic performance.
I can personally relate with this incident (not the suicide
part) as I was also a weak student while growing up and especially in my
matriculation and intermediate years. This is the time when a student needs his
teacher the most as he is down on self-motivation and belief and there is no
other person other than a teacher, who can revive this belief in the student.
However, it is commonly observed that, that particular student becomes butt of
all the jokes and humiliation. He is rebuked every time for a wrong answer and
he ends-up hating himself and eventually isolating himself. I was lucky that I
had a good bunch of friends, caring parents and few good teachers who were
helpful and supportive but not everyone is that lucky. Had it not been for them
I must have broken down or might have committed the same mistake that the boy
in Gujranwala did.
Irony is that this unfortunate event took place at a private
school. Usually the perception is that the public schools are chocked-up and
the private schools are a better facility. However, the stats suggest that of
all the children enrolled in primary school in Pakistan, 69% are retained until
class 5 and only 28% until class 10[1]. Although
usually it is perceived that the students drop out due to financial constraints
however this reason is one of the many reasons. Nonetheless this calls for a change
at multiple levels especially at the school and home level. Priority should be
given to teacher training
because they are not only there to give a simple lecture on a topic related to
their subject. Their job is multi-dimensional; they have to look after their
students and have to fill in the void where ever they find one. The
student-teacher interaction plays a great role in shaping-up of the personality
of the student. The parents too have to understand the capability of their
child and should not burden him with the undue pressure of their expectations.
It is for them to understand that each child is different from the other and
has a different set of talent. If a student/child is not performing well
academically or has been repeatedly careless and aggressive then he should not
be sidelined as some retard but it is the joint responsibility of the parents
and the teachers to identify the root cause of the turbulent behavior. To be a
teacher or a parent is a big responsibility and demands a lot of attention and
care. This job is so important because the parents and the teachers are
nurturing their own future as it is these children who will replace them.
Another fact that has to be given due consideration is that more 53% of
Pakistan’s population is below the age of 24[2].
So, if we will continue to block the natural growth of our children and will
continue to mold and burden them with the weight of our undue expectations, it
is feared that we will raise a generation of emotionally inaccessible zombies
that are dead from inside. As Hazrat Ali (R.A) once said, “Do not raise your
children the way (your) parents raised you, they were born for a different
time”.
