EARNING THE SCHOLARSHIP
“Never
buy Gold, simply earn it...”
-
Mary Kom
A
week ago, I received a call from a retired school-teacher. I knew her from the
days when she taught in a state-board school. She was an excellent Mathematics
teacher and was very popular among the students. After her retirement, she
started tuition classes from her residence and students from different boards –
SSC , CBSE, ICSE, IB, all – thronged to her place for guidance in Mathematics.
I always admired this gifted teacher, who, in her late seventies still reached
out to young school-students and kept herself extremely positive and productive…
This time, the teacher
had called me to check if I could do something about her granddaughter’s
nursery admission in a certain ICSE school. I was surprised… She had been a
very popular teacher herself… had taught thousands of students… knew so many
well-connected parents… and, of all the people, she he had called me for help. “Gerry,
I have been wanting to enroll my granddaughter in this school… but, I am
shocked to know that I have to pay 4-5 lakhs to ‘agents’!”
“Madam you have called
a ‘wrong number’,” I said from this end.
“I didn’t get you,
Gerry,” the teacher exclaimed, obviously, confused.
I did not beat about
the bush… I came straight to the point: “Ma’am, is this the kind of foundation
you wish to lay for your little angel? You have been such an outstanding
teacher and human being… You have laid rock-solid foundation to thousands of
students… and, now, when it comes to your own blood, you need to be even stronger
and clearer… Forget such schools… Send her to ‘any school’ which doesn’t
compromise on the fundamentals of life…”
Like me, this teacher,
too, had dealt with students from all sorts of Boards and schools. She, too,
knew, in the heart of her hearts, that it took much more than the school
syllabus and over-rated curriculum, to become finely educated… She, too, agreed,
that students from less privileged homes always did better in school and life…
It was not an exception, she agreed, but, it was a rule… That, to do well in
life, one had to be an underdog…
But then, but then!
When our turn comes, we tend to doubt our own beliefs. There is this social
pressure… “What if my beliefs are wrong?”
This teacher’s daughter
belonged to the ‘Society’… She wanted admission in this particular school, even
if they had to deal with the agents…
I do not know what happened
eventually. Most probably, my dear teacher may have to go with flow, by just
closing her eyes… and, mouth, as well!
Times
have changed, Gerry…
Really?
Just two days ago,
another woman called me up. “Sir, Mohit* has come first in the class,” she said
in Hindi, so happily, “Just wanted to thank you Sir.”
Months ago, when this
woman had come to enroll her son in my class for 11th standard, I
learnt, that they had acute financial crunch. The boy was a topper in tenth
standard (SSC Board) in his school. He was easily getting admission in some
so-called ‘The best Commerce colleges’. But, the school principal called the
parents and just said this, “We want this boy here in our junior college…He is
our pride.” The school not only waived off the fees, but also provided books
and uniform free of cost… The boy had earned it as his ‘scholarship’…
The boy went home
earning one more scholarship… I waived off his fees saying the same thing, “I
want this boy here… He is my pride!”
The boy hasn’t let us
down…
Well, well, well… Is
this an exception or a rule?
The answer, my friends,
is blowing in the wind… Yes, blowing in the wind!
*The name changed
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Austin Coutinho
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