Sharing a letter which I have posted to the chairman of a large school chain.
Dear Mr.X,
This letter comes to you as a token of appreciation and the great work that you have been doing in the field of Public School Education in India. At the same time, this letter also addresses concerns, anguish and anger.
A school is acclaimed good; only by measuring the quality of the teachers associated with it. In the midst of an era where there is dearth of good teachers in our country, I am surprised that you are running one of the largest school chains in Asia. From what I have heard from the people around is that you manage more than 700 schools, providing quality education to millions of children. How did you manage to find quality teachers, I am in a state of enigma, seeking clarity.
However, if you do a root-cause analysis (common sense) on lack of good teachers in our country, you will find that, they are not paid very high, for the services they render. For a school like that of yours, you make them slog from 8:20 in the morning till 5:45 in the evening. I am horrified by the state of affairs carried out in some of your schools. If a teacher speaks continuously for 5 hours, he / she might lose the vocal cord. I have personally seen great teachers who have lost their voice.
Juggling the qualified B.Ed teachers among your schools, in order to gain the CBSE accreditation is not a very manly act. A man of dignity would rather stand up and create qualified teachers. Stand up and make necessary changes in the system, if it does not support your business motive. Forget, all these, It would be great, if you can provide them their basic salary on time. A school where there is not standard procedure to provide salary on time, a school which does not respect teachers, what quality education do I expect from you? I regret to let you know that I am rather forced to shift my child to a different school.
Recollecting what Winston Churchill said 65 years ago:
“Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low caliber & men of straw. They will have sweet tongues & silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power & India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air & water would be taxed in India.”
Today, No surprise! India is going through this state of affairs predicted by him 6 decades before. I am shrinking of abash to see my country going down to rogues.
May be you are not completely aware of the situation, at your schools. I give you the benefit of doubt and still consider you as a great man. I would be happy, if this letter at the least provokes you to take a deeper look at the situation before making any further judgment about this letter. Pardon my language, this letter comes out of anguish and anger, at the same time this letter comes to you with the best intentions.
As an outsider and as a common man, I have my limitations. But things won’t be that difficult for a man of your caliber, position and power. Entrust in you, the future of millions of children!
Yours sincerely,
Ajeesh Venugopalan