Of Students, Parents & Money

If the people whom you entrust on, betray the very essence of their profession, you know that there is something inherently wrong in our upbringing. India as a nation might be very poor and weak to even consider professional ethics but when you don’t, people who believe in virtuous values lose hope. You kill the generous and innocent souls!

No one needs a course on ethics to let them take their professional decisions wisely; At least, not in one of the noblest professions of teaching.

The very idea of moulding a kid may sound very overwhelming to the genuinely interested and concerned professional teacher. However, few of the stakeholders involved in the process essentially use it as an opportunity to milk their innocence and naivety. Everybody party to such crime milks the growing kid to fill their bank accounts. This is very unnerving.

Teachers in our society are looked on as people who will fulfill the greedy ambitions of ignorant parents. The student generally is unaware about almost everything which awaits him in future. Parents and teachers bear a huge responsibility to make him aware and self-dependent. Every kid must learn to gather knowledge, choose wisely and own their decisions. By not letting the students make their own decisions and enforcing upon them some prejudiced career path, parents and teachers are committing a crime.

Few years ago, a teacher was brainwashing one of the kids. His choice of words was very simple, “What will you do with commerce? Take Science for a bright future”. No, he is not a professional counselor nor did he even consider digging deeper into the psyche of the student. He did not care for his likes, interests and aptitude. What is the motive? It is very simple; his bread depends upon students choosing science, getting into the grind of IIT-JEE coaching which generates revenue. This is not only the problem of teachers but also parents. The inordinate aspirations of parents never stop fuelling the mushrooming of test preparation companies. We are a nation which has falsely internalised that education is the easiest way to be rich and have a comfortable life. It is delusional.

If someone is genuinely interested in studying the concepts of rolling cylinders, hanging pulleys, spinning tops and moving cars, let him study science. If someone would like to bury him down under the weight of reaction mechanisms, let him study science. If someone would love to read calculus, let him study science. If someone wants to study science for entry to the hallowed walls of IIT & other elite engineering colleges, prepare him for the uphill but selfishly foolish task. But not if any of the conditions are not fulfilled.

Just for generating revenue or fulfilling your desires through your child, never force a kid to take a wrong career path. Please, don’t tell me that money excites you to commit such a crime and stop justifying it.

What worries me more is that most of the justification for the wrong career advice by teachers is the motivation of earning money. Is money the only motivator for doing things in the long run? Yes, you need money for survival but not anymore than that. You need a satisfying career to earn money from or just use your time judiciously. As teachers & parents, we must not make our kids money-minded scrooges. We need to have a nobler purpose in life.

Please, don’t make our kids a bunch of opportunist sloths. Let’s teach them first the values & ideals needed to lead a happy and satisfying life.



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