Late Dr. Avul Pakir Jainlubdeen Abdul Kalam Sir, May I take the privilege to call you professor? I myself don’t know myself why do I direct this letter to you Professor; neither do I know why I had the urge to call you ‘Professor’. The reason for the former may be because I don’t know if there’s a messenger with you who has told you that the country you loved, cherished, for whom you had a vision, whose future you wanted to be a very bright and inspiring one, has failed you. As for the latter, I believe that I call you professor because there hardly are left any good teachers left in the education system, more, in my university, whose foundation stone was laid none other than yourself. I can see your name as I walk past the stone which engraves your name at the entrance of the academic block of the university. Professor, I write this in utter shock, regret and out of failure of the present education system and the loss of hope in the government of India to recognise the needs and the value of the students. The IITs the concept of which JL Nehru introduced which later on inspired IIMs, AIIMS and NLUs among other institutes of national prestige have undergone certain changes and administrative formalities the effects of which are destructive for the nation as a whole if not for a student individually. The hike in fees by 300%, the lack of competent faculties, the non eagerness of the government of India to promote research in various subjects have shaken the students’ belief. Institutions are nowadays targeted for political motives. Secularism as enshrined in the Constitution of India has become a laughing stock. Professor, the political atmosphere of the country has started to sting the students. Here, I will not talk about how we are called anti-nationals for speaking out our minds, or how social Media is being used to promote lies and shut down institutions of such great international repute. The UGC’s budget has been cut be over 60% in the last 3 years. From 10 thousand crores in 2014, it has consistently been decreased by the government at the centre so much so that it is now 4200 crores only. The lack of funding to government institutions has seriously undermined the activities of the students. The funding for institutions has been stopped and students are forced to either self finance their own research or suffer without money. While on one hand we as a nation are taking pride in the revolutionary successes of ISRO, the armed forces in the present, the future, however, looks gloomy. The IITs have stopped since a decade to give out the quality of students it used to put into workforce. At this point, I am reminded of the first supercomputer of India which was built by some IITians. While the number of IITs and other educational institutions of national importance and scientific research grows, the number of problems grows as well. Professors blame students for not being hardworking and sincere towards their studies but I feel it is the teacher today who has failed in the Indian education system. For example, I had the pleasure of being taught by a faculty whose first few lines of introduction in her first class was to tell the students how many students she had failed in the last semester. This is the primary concern which I present to you, fundings I believe are secondary, however, under some circumstances both are significantly important simultaneously. Professor, if the primary objective of a teacher has become ‘failing the students’ instead of teaching the students, I am afraid the Guru-Shishya tradition has reached a new low. The Guru has defiled the sanctity of the pious profession that was of imparting education. With these preliminary fears that I have as a student professor, I ask you would we be able to achieve what you envisioned for India in 2020? Also, I would like to highlight the fact here that the meaning and nature of education has also changed, for marks rule intelligence and ‘smart-work’ has replaced hard-work.
(To be continued.......)
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May 2020
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This page contains letters to several Persons, Places, and Things, close and relevant to me or the nation. The upcoming letters list above-mentioned above are only scheduled publishing dates of letters to Prominent personalities. Other letters may be published anytime except on the scheduled dates. |