By Dr. Rafi Ramzan Dar
AJ By now, a topsy-turvy situation has begun to take root in our societal systems. Instead of working hard and giving our best, we focus more on problems. Instead of improving ourselves, we start counting the faults of others and even devising an appropriate plan to belittle others who coexist with us in our work environment. The irony is that we go with the flow and expect more returns by putting in less.
This is not the scenario of a particular economic sector or a specific institution or organization only. In fact, we are feeling and witnessing such a growth inhibiting culture rapidly developing and consolidating almost everywhere in the length and breadth of our geographic region and our education sector is no exception.
In our educational system, we are witnessing a system of lobbies and groups that spare no effort to gossip against members of the opposing group. It has deeply encroached and manifested in various forms and nomenclatures like senior versus junior, teacher versus non-teacher, skilled versus unskilled, permanent versus contract as well as official versus staff” unofficial”, etc.
Also, there is a group of people called “Yes-men” who are unavoidable in every Director’s, Principal’s, or HOD’s office. It is a group of the oldest, most influential and lethargic “babus”. These people are the most detrimental to the proper functioning of any institution. They are the ones who orient the least and mislead the most towards the chair. In fact, those “yes-yes” at the bottom of their hearts assume that the official responsible is stable and functional only thanks to them forgetting that any institution or organization can function even without Tom, Dick or Harry. What they do is they occupy the pulpit in useless things which in the longer term gives them a greater say in academic or other matters, provided the office manager is ineffectual and not exposed to lead the institution as head.
Consequently, they begin to feel and think of themselves as the de facto epicenters of power and authority. This sows the seeds of mutual rupture between them and the other members who are not even allowed to make frequent visits around the pulpit, which engenders antagonistic tendencies and degrades the essence as well as the performance of the institution concerned. As evidence of this fact, we have witnessed our ranks plummet during recent NAAC visits to nearly all of our colleges across UT. Despite sufficient infrastructure and abundant manpower as well as immense funds, what we lack is a matter of great concern.
After all, the fundamental question that comes to mind is: have we excelled somewhere? The answer is a big yes. We have excelled in producing an atmosphere of non-cooperation and inferiority complex in our higher seats of learning. Not only that, We have also shown the world how mutual rifts can be made more substantial, how our individual egos cannot be left unsatisfied and, in fact, how the standards of our educational systems can be lowered by producing growth. .
On top of that, we also designed a roadmap for other companies and showed them how we mingle with students like buddies (where they use derogatory epitaphs like ‘yaar’ for their teachers) and reduce the decency gap between a teacher and a student to such an extent that we are witnessing growing trends of misbehavior and indiscipline among students. Overall, we are the torchbearers of passing on this degrading and damaging legacy to our future generations.
We do not deny social dynamism. We understand and appreciate that. But when we witness a negative change in any of the systems of our society, it creates negative vibrations which in turn generates pessimistic tendencies and ultimately results in a lack of interest towards our assigned work in our respective positions and places. . We escape the role-playing itself. This leads in the long run to inefficiency and dysfunction of the system where we end up with underdevelopment and less production. This inhibits growth and development.
We must not forget that whatever we do or propagate, the world watches and attends our movements very carefully. The actions and episodes of today will convey a message of its inherent nature and character for the future. Creating a better or bitter education system is entirely our choice and before making a choice we must choose wisely and honestly. We must not forget that we are not only the builders of our nation but also that of our community, our society as well as the careers and lives of our future generations. We must not be part of any ideology that inhibits our growth as well as the growth of those institutions and organizations that are inalienable in our existence and enlightenment.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of Kashmir Observer
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