Man is a social animal. He constitutes family and kinship as well as lives in community and society as an inalienable part to each. When we understand our purpose of being alive, our actions and reactions not only make our life better but also create equal chances of growth and survival for others as well. Overall, it is the quality and quantity of efforts we put in at every stage in every aspect that give birth to a happy and prosperous social system.
However, at present, a topsy-turvy state of affairs has started spreading its roots in our societal systems. Instead of working hard and giving our best, we focus more on glitches. As a substitute of improving ourselves, we start counting other’s faults and even devise a proper plan to demean others who co-exist with us in our working environment. The irony is that we flow with the flow and expect more output but put in lesser input. This isn’t the scenario of any particular economic sector or any specific institution or organisation only. In fact, we feel and witness such a growth inhibitive culture developing and rapidly consolidating almost everywhere in the length and breadth of our geographical region and our educational sector isn’t an exception to it.
In our educational system, we witness a system of lobbies and groups which leave no stone unturned in backbiting against the members of the opposite group. It has deeply encroached and manifested itself in various forms and nomenclatures, like seniors vs. juniors, teaching vs. non-teaching, skilled vs. unskilled, permanent vs. contractual, as well as official vs. “outside of official” staff, etc.
Besides, there is a group of people called “yes-men” who are inevitable in every office of the Headmaster, Principal or HOD. This is a group of most senior, most influential and most lethargic ‘babus’. These people are most detrimental for the smooth functioning of any institution. It is them who guide less and misguide more to the chair. In fact, these “yes-men” in the heart of their hearts assume that the office is stable and functional only because of them, forgetting that any institution or organisation can work even without any Tom, Dick or Harry. What they do is, they keep the chair most often busy in unnecessary gossip and backbiting, which in the long run gives them a greater say in the academic or other affairs, provided the office bearer is inefficient to lead the institution as a head.
Consequently, they begin to feel and think themselves as the de facto epicenters of power and authority. This sows seeds of mutual rift between them and the other members who aren’t even allowed to make frequent visits around the chair. This breeds antagonistic tendencies and degrades the essence as well as performance of the institution. As a proof to this fact, we have witnessed our falling ranks during recent NAAC visit in almost all our colleges across the UT. Despite having sufficing infrastructure and ample manpower as well as immense funds, what we lack in is a matter of great concern.
After all, the basic question that strikes one’s mind is that have we excelled anywhere then? The answer is a big yes. We have excelled in producing an atmosphere of non-cooperation and inferiority complexes in our higher seats of learning. Not only this, we have also shown to the world how mutual rifts can be made more substantial, how our individual egos can’t be left unsatisfied and, in fact, how the standards of our educational systems can be lowered down by producing growth inhibitors. In addition to it, we have also designed a roadmap for other societies and shown them as to how we mingle with students like pals (where they use derogatory epitaphs like ‘yaar’ for their teachers) and reduce the gap of decency between a teacher and a student, so much so that we are witnessing increasing misbehaviour and indiscipline among the students. Overall, we are the torch bearers of carrying on such degrading and detrimental legacies forward to our next generations.
We don’t deny social dynamism. We do understand and appreciate that. But when we witness negative change in any of the systems in our society, it creates negative vibes which in turn generate pessimistic tendencies and ultimately result in lack of interest towards our assigned work at our respective positions and places. We escape from proper role playing. This in long run leads to inefficiency and malfunctioning in the system where we end up with under-development and lesser output. This inhibits growth and development.
We must not forget that whatsoever we do or propagate, the world is watching and witnessing. Today’s actions and episodes will carry forward a message of their inherent nature and character for the future. To create a better or bitter educational system is completely our choice and, before making any choice, we must choose wisely and honestly. We must not forget that we are not only the builders of our nation but also that of our community, our society as well as the careers and lives of our coming generations. We must not be part of any ideology which inhibit our growth as well as the growth of those institutions and organisations that are inalienable to our existence and enlightenment.

The writer teaches Geography at GDC Bijbehara. He can be reached at [email protected]

Dr Rafi Ramzan Dar