Dr Jayaprakash Narayan
[Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, a former IAS officer,
is the founder of Lok Satta Party, a political party that stands for “new
politics for the new generation”.
In India today, when we think of education, we usually think of upmarket business schools, foreign universities operating here,
smart classrooms and so on …. This article, copied from the website of the
party and slightly abridged, offers a different perspective.]
I studied in a Telugu-medium government school
in a village called Godavarru near Vijayawada. There was no electricity, toilet
or running water at my old aunt’s house where I lived away from my parents
during school years. I left school (after tenth grade) in 1969 at the age of
13. In those days it was not uncommon for kids to enter school at three.
A friend of mine, a brilliant cardiologist
now, finished school at 12! Despite the young age and spartan life, my school
years had a profound impact on my life and attitudes.
The village school in those days was great.
The infrastructure was inadequate; but the community owned the school, and all
kids – rich or poor – went to the same school.
The teachers were competent and committed.
They inspired and encouraged us. Amazingly, we could question and challenge
teachers. The school was a true institution with a sense of purpose and played
a vital role in village life. In sports, I was the slowest kid.
We played kho-kho and kabaddi. A few who had
bats played ball-badminton. We never saw a shuttle cock. I never heard the
names ‘cricket’ and ‘hockey’ until I left school! But we had a Boy Scouts
group, and greatly enjoyed the signals, codes and many other pleasures of a boy
scout.
My village teachers kindled great interest [and]
allowed me to work at my own pace. When I found the text books not challenging
enough, I was encouraged to do exercises from Hall & Knight (Math), and
Wren & Martin (English grammar). We could point out our teachers’ errors
without fear. When I look back, schooling in that village laid superb
foundations for our future lives.
There were regular inspections by the DEO. I
vividly remember an amusing incident. We had a great Telugu teacher. He was a
master of the classics, and taught us with passion. On the day of inspection,
we decorated the school with confetti. Our Telugu teacher was in class, and we
were waiting for the inspector.
One kid stood up and showed a little finger.
The teacher promptly said, “Why are you scared? We (the teachers) should be
nervous when the inspector comes, not you!” We all found it hilarious.
My science teacher actually demonstrated
experiments in our small lab. He even wanted to show the anatomy of frog by
dissecting it. I was entrusted with the task of getting a frog to class. A
friend and I, with some difficulty, caught a toad (we thought it was a frog). I
then visited a clinic in Kankipadu and borrowed some chloroform in a small
bottle. The teacher, to our wonder, had put the toad to sleep by sprinkling a
bit of chloroform, and dissected it and showed its digestive system. I wonder
how many fancy schools today give such exposure to kids!
One English teacher always scolded me for my
refusal to learn essays by rote, and for my insistence on writing in my own
words. I refused to comply with his instructions. In exasperation, he said I
would never score more than 75% in public examination. I got exactly 75! But I
never regretted it.
All in all, our schooling was fun. It gave us
a chance to fulfil our potential and make something of our lives. It is a pity;
forty three years later, many many kids don’t have the opportunity we had in
village India of 1960’s.
18 Jul 2012
