Gandhiji, as a school master, said that education without a strong moral character (ethics) proves to be a dangerous thing not for the individuals alone but also for the society they live in as well as the nation they belong to. No one can dispute this statement made by the ‘Father of the Nation’.
How far ‘education’ in the ultra-modern age has succeeded in shaping the character of the students, and how far ultra-modern parents and guardians have been able to display manners in discharging their onerous but noble onus towards building a strong moral character of their children are known to most of us. The recent incidents that took us aback are enough to confirm and authenticate our belief that both students and parents/guardians are gradually becoming uncivilized.
Commenting upon students’ behaviour at Jadavpur University, Kolkata sometime in 2014, the then Governor of W.B., M.K. Narayanan, in reply to the question “what is lacking in today’s youth”, said, “What we lack today is perhaps the innate discipline. Discipline has taken the back seat in this era of liberalisation.” The expression of Narayanan betrays his anger and sadness taking a hard grip of his heart and mind because of the deplorable picture of students’ behaviour.
The Governor made this comment when his attention was drawn to the ugly scene of siege made by the Jadavpur University students to press their demand to let off the students punished for ragging. In other words, the students who committed the offence of ‘ragging’ must not be taken to task rather than be patted on their backs for such an act of misdemeanour!
It is known to many that Narayanan has on several past occasions expressed his anguish and concern over indiscipline in educational institutions and publicly disapproved of the ‘gherao tactics’ employed by students of various educational institutions. He is reported to have vented his ire by expressing such harsh words as “the unruly and undisciplined students should be beaten up.” This comment made on the conduct of some students clearly indicates as to what stage of discipline and manner most of the present day students have reached.
Similarly, the incident connected with the Christ Church Girls’ High School at Dum-Dum, also in Kolkata, presents but a very ugly picture of manner and conduct of some parents/guardians and even outsiders who resorted to attacking the teachers and destroying the school’s property in protest against a girl’s death. This incident also occurred in 2014. Teachers got terrified, girls in the hostels were panic-stricken and the police force present at the sight was quite nervous and stood a mere spectator in the face of hooliganism being carried out by none but the parents and guardians of the students.
The police force remained mere witness to the blind menace and reckless destruction of property that apparently was undertaken by those who are expected to teaching moral lesson to their children by their own activities reflecting their deep sense of ethics and moral values. Parents are supposed to always remain a ‘model example’ rather than a mere precept.
The incident at the aforementioned girls’ high school exposed how far behaviour-violence now lies and how wide its scope is when even a small matter turns parents and guardians into a rampaging mob which would not desist until the principal had been arrested after being made to resign. What a shame on the part of the parents who resorted to such ignoble acts!
The cause of death of a student within the campus of a school was certainly a matter of concern. In the present case it was reported that the student who died, had complained about ragging and extortion by some older girls. Such kind of ragging that can cause extreme fear and depression must not be allowed at any cost. The offenders must be given exemplary punishment.
It must be noted that ragging, as mentioned above, might be taken as a form of violence, which is not restricted to any particular branch of life. In fact, it appears to have penetrated every layer of society and influenced all ages.
The matter does not end there even if some parents are arrested on the ground of misconduct within the campus of educational institutions. The issue of hooliganism at educational institutions must be looked at and attended to with minds and hearts which are capable of projecting utmost broadness, the minds and hearts which are quite enlivened and glitter with the rays of honesty, genuine sense of judgment and, above all, function freely – unshackled with prejudice and remaining un-goaded by party politics and selfish politicians.
It must be admitted that parents and guardians are also required to play greater roles in shaping their wards’ life suitably. They also must not forget that teachers are engaged in the noble task of nurturing their children. And, if parents and guardians themselves would exhibit such nasty manners towards teachers, can any goal of learning be achieved?
It must be kept in mind that educational institutions happen to be temples of wisdom and learning and we all must strive whole-heatedly to promote love and feelings of fraternity instead of hatred and violence.
During the course of this scribe’s having telephonic talk with Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, Principal, Millat College, (now serving Marwari College) Darbhanga (Bihar), I sought for his valued views as to how hooliganism within the campus of educational institutions can be dealt with and brought under control. He plainly stated that before the situation bursts into a violent form, police force must be called in at once to deal with it suitably. Dr. Mushtaq also explained at length that education at present has completely become ‘job-oriented’. In other words, ‘profession-centric’ education gives least importance to moral values. He further elaborated his point that the main objective behind learning and acquiring knowledge at present is to equip oneself suitably with the armament necessary for aggrandisement of material gains, shunning and kicking off all the ethical values and moral principles, which are taken as the matters of the past and/or a subject only to read.
Ishrat Hashmi, Secretary of Beniapukur High Madersa (H S), Kolkata also holds the same view. He opines that religious education (Deeni Talim) must be imparted to students from the very beginning. He emphatically asserted that a subject dealing with ethics must be included in the syllabi prescribed for students up to Class-X, as it was in vogue in the middle and high schools in the past.
The above point has also been dealt with suitably by Radiance Viewsweekly in its editorial ‘Introduce Humanity as a Subject” (4-10 September 2016). His concluding sentence shares my view fully. “…it would be also in the fitness of things to demand introduction of humanity as a subject in the various syllabi to teach human norms and human rights right from the secondary classes”.
At last but not the least, in the field of education our students must be taught lessons dealing with moral science. In imparting education our main emphasis and focus must be on building a strong moral character, without which, as Gandhiji remarked, our cherished objective of making our society healthy, strong and prosperous will remain mere a wild cry.