MOCKERY OF EDUCATION


 MOCKERY OF EDUCATION
By Abhisekh Kunwar

Basanta Panchami, also known as Saraswati Puja, is celebrated on Magha Sukla Panchami to pay homage to Goddess Saraswati, who is revered as the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, learning, music, art, and culture. The day heralds the onset of the spring season. It holds great significance for all students and art lovers. Many young children are taught alphabets with the belief that they will do their best throughout the journey of education.

Many private schools, daycare centers, and Montessori schools announce the new admission in the midst of an academic year to lure parents and children. The celebration has been a kind of fashion in many institutional schools. However, the local-level bodies turn a deaf ear. There is a cutthroat competition among all private schools for collecting children.

I would like to share a poignant experience that a destitute mother had to face to enroll her son at a popular school in Pokhara. She also entered the school with the hope that her son would definitely get rid of poverty if he got a chance to study at a reputed school.

However, their dress-up became the first impediment to getting admission. The child had bare feet and ragged clothes; hence, nobody came to hold him. On the other side, the children from affluent families were playing joyfully, and their parents seemed busy posting photos on various social media platforms to show others. The teachers distributed admission forms for newcomers and spoke in English. The confused mother couldn’t comprehend their words, so she spoke in Nepali. But the teachers acted as if they did not understand her language.

On the other hand, upon seeing various playing materials, the boy was extremely happy, as if he could also use them. Yet he was unaware of his poverty. He approached them, but one of the school staff pushed the boy back, lest he leave dirty marks on those items.

Finally, the mother was told to leave the school. Nobody gave her forms for new admission. The heartbroken mother left the school premises with a heavy heart. The principal belittled her, saying his school was unable to accommodate her son.

I tried to console her to lessen her awful experience that she received on such an auspicious day. She told me that she was a daily wage earner. She wanted her son to get an education along with other children. To alleviate her frustration, I told her the stories of all the successful people who received their education in state-owned schools.

Sarasawti Puja is celebrated with the belief that the goddess blesses people with knowledge if she is paid homage. But looking at people’s attitudes, it seems that the goddess provides knowledge to the children who are born with a silver spoon.

I wonder, and therefore, I want to ask a question: only rich people have the privilege to get knowledge. Now the time has come for our government to wake up and work sincerely to provide quality education to every child in the country.

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