I spent most
of last month in a recruitment process for the department .Before the
recruitment process began in the capital city, I was wary of the month long
arduous task ahead and the accompanying drudgery; at the same time, I was
curious to see the levels at which the young men and women, the very light of
our country- the youth would compete with each other for the handful of
government jobs at our behest. They came, they competed and they left me
brimming with pessimism. Most wanted to cheat in the physical efficiency tests
and did not even shy away from manipulating something as impossible as height. The
most enduring trait common to the ten thousand candidates who appeared in the
sundry tests was the overpowering hungry to cheat, lie and adopt all the unfair
means possible to get that elusive government job. Which translated to
tiptoeing during height measurements, trying to piggyback during swimming, slobbering
for that ‘another last chance’ after failing to clear an event not to forget
the countless calls made through the high, mighty and powerful of the society
to extend specific candidates an extra helpful
‘nudge’ to clear the exam. The justification for this entire charade
would be on similar lines- the candidate specific was a destitute with the
weight of a poverty stricken family/relatives on his head which apparently gave
him the right to flout all norms to get employed and thus, earn a ticket to the
genteel world.
I agree and empathize
with the urge to find a job and place under the sun-I had been slogging for the
same half a dozen years ago and the memories of those days and nights of toil
are still mint fresh in my memory. What I do not agree with at all is this
justification of dishonesty in the name of poverty. Should honesty and
transparency only be the shroud of the haves and be dispensed with in the case
of have nots? It is actually difficult to swallow that the youth who
spearheaded the anti-corruption campaign a few springs ago do not bat an eyelid
when it comes to their own cases. I believe that the issue of corruption has
been done to death in the public sphere and it has been quite an eye opener to
see the country en masse ganging up
against dishonesty, greed, unfairness, cheating and corruption. But, a good
brush with field reality makes one wonder whether we are socially, ethics
spouting saints, and individually, as vile and as much of a cheat as the other.
All of this
made me think that there is something awry with our education system. We have
not been able to modulate our pedagogy in a way to nurture healthy, upright
young minds who are fired by the desire to conquer the world with their zeal,
enthusiasm, sincerity and by the dint of their hard, honest efforts. Instead,
we have reared armies of self defeated, crippled minds whose only wish is to
manipulate and find that shortcut to success. The shame of the picture of
parents/ relatives aiding their wards to cheat in school exams in Bihar should
be an apt reminder for us to revisit our curriculum and pedagogy. There was a
time when it was an uphill task to get children to schools and thereby, the
mid-day meal scheme was introduced to lure children to schools and feed them
well..so that they keep coming back. That was a welcome step in those days but
we have not moved forward. I believe the next step should be taken with
urgency- a step to ensure that the students are not only well fed but well
schooled as well. Eggs in lunch will and cannot suffice to prepare them for the
rigours of life ahead. Also, primary education needs to be sound and strong to
prepare a bedrock of good values, morals
as well as sound knowledge for each and every child. And that is precisely what
we are missing today. We have a huge young mass to take up striking,
sloganeering and everything else to fight against corruption but who lack the
zest and endeavour to make that effort to be honest and upright themselves.
