Malady in the classroom

There is a malady in Bangladesh that's spreading like the plague, much to the detriment of the nation. Its name: coaching. Coaching per se is honourable and good in the right environment, but many village teachers have turned it into a distasteful, despicable form of blackmail, extortion, deceit and wrongdoing. Many of the village schools have become negligent in their teaching duties and transformed themselves into mere recruiting centres for the lucrative private coaching enterprises operated off-premises by the schoolteachers. These totally unscrupulous 'teachers' play on the fear and ignorance of the childparents. Blackmail, corporal punishment, and intimidation are tools of their trade and they use these tools so skillfully that I suspect the 'teachers' may be chasing after some kind of annual award to honour their immoral dexterity. The principle and practice employed is simple enough. If the child attends the tutoring centre (usually the teacher's home) the child receives 'proper education' and it also means they do not get picked on by the 'teacher' (read as 'bully') in the classroom. It's much similar to paying a monthly 'protection insurance' premium to the mafia; to ensure your child is not hassled or harassed by them: the same 'honourable' 'teachers' who should be protecting the child and nurturing hisher education. The all-skillful tutor masterly plays on the ignorance and fragility of the child's mind in making them believe in the classroom environment that they are not smart enough to comprehend the lesson as it's being taught and it would be in their best interest to attend additional private tutorials. In fact some 'teachers' go out of their way to ensure the pupils don't learn the lesson, so their parents seek them out with their rickshaw-driving and other equally low-income hard-earnings to help resolve the problem (which the 'teacher' had created). If the struggling poor parents, who may have several mouths to feed, choose to send their dear one to receive private tuition the corporal punishment and intimidation ceases and their child is given free monthly membership to the 'My Teacher Loves Me Club', but only as long as the illegal and immoral extortion fees continue to be paid. Membership in the club also brings added 'bonuses'. The child's school marks miraculously skyrocket overnight to dizzy heights and failure in exams is a thing of the past - an indication they being given the answers prior to the test! Children who once only received 40% marks for an essay and the wrath of their parents for not having worked hard enough, suddenly start scooping academic Oscars. They rush home, God love them, clutching their 'passes' and believing they've made a vast improvement. Their parents are also so proud and pat themselves on the back for having had sufficient wisdom to have made the big sacrifice to put less food on the table and less clothes on their back to give their beloved child the opportunity of education that they never had. The simple-minded parents are lulled into believing their child's knowledge has rapidly improved because of XYZ's specialist tutoring when in fact, she always deserved greater marks, but was never given them because of the unscrupulous game being played in the classroom. While you are likely to hear many stories from simple village folk in praise of 'teachers' who took their offspring from 40% to 50% overnight (often after just one lesson, wow!); there will never be a story in circulation condemning a teacher, saying the results of their sondaughter worsened since she attended the tutorials of XYZ simply because XYZ writes his own reality. Only when the child sits for an outside exam in which the 'teacher', headmaster or even school has no input or control, can the true level of the child's knowledge be measured. The rest is a cocktail of fun and games, lies, fantasy and deceit and is no different to any other bums-on-seats commercial enterprise. Let us not forget that education is the lifeblood of a civilized nation and good teaching is the bedrock of good societies. To graduate from a professional teachers' training college is the climax and fulfillment of many years of long study, hard work and admirable dedication; and it marks a great personal achievement in a teacher's life. Unlike other professions such as a barrister-at-law, medical doctor, architect or surgeon, it does not offer visions of opulent housing, Ferrari sports cars and such. What it does (or should) offer is a fairly decent standard of living, a good pension, and incalculable respect and admiration from child, parent, school and nation. Before the modern-day decay set-in, all teachers throughout Bangladesh were admired for their dedication and passion to teach with the wellbeing of the child in heart. Those teachers among us who are dedicated, decent, honest and professional will tell you they would NEVER have become teachers if they were seeking wealth - it's just not there to be had. The real rewards from teaching is not to be had from any wealth, titles or trophies, but in knowing you have helped many human beings fulfill their ambitions and reach their potential, and in so doing created a much better and happier society. Patriotism is a rare and wonderful virtue. There is great honour to be had in serving the living. A dedicated teacher is a modern-day unsung hero who deserves total respect. Society may never erect a monument for public view in appreciation of a teacher of high integrity, great honour, and respect, but their pupils will carry one in their hearts forever. While I readily recognize there are many problems within the education system in Bangladesh that need to be addressed, there is no justification whatsoever for the use of corporal punishment in the classroom. A classroom should be a place of enlightenment. A place where each and every child would want to be each day of hisher own accord; a fun place of learning and meeting with friends, not a torture chamber on the threshold of a hell to be feared, despised and hated. That kind of atmosphere is not conducive to good learning. I'm proud to have met many Bangladeshi teachers who are professional through and through, dedicated to a fault and who abhor the culture of corporal punishment in the classroom. Corporal punishment is the first recourse of pseudo teachers who lack the ability to teach in a professional manner and brings them and their profession, shame and embarrassment and causes untold damage to the mind of the pupil. What chalk is to cheese, corporal punishment is to discipline - it has no relation whatsoever. On the contrary, it is a widely practiced form of mental and physical torture that causes humiliation, irreparable damage throughout the person's life and violates the rights of the child and speaks only shame, disgust and curses the 'teacher' who inflicted it. For much too long in Bangladesh human wrongs have domineered over human rights. In 2012, I hope to see all errant teachers turn over a new leaf. Just as the ignorant among us resort to violence to resolve issues, rather than talking the problem through, a teacher should realize any form of corporal punishment inflicted on a child highlights their own ignorance and mirrors their inadequacies as a balanced human being and their own inability to teach properly. Every time a 'teacher' hits, slaps, insults or even raises his voice to a child is an open admission that she is not a good teacher. Respect commands respect. A child will respect those who will respect them. A child who is loved, respected and appreciated learns to give love, respect and appreciation in return. It is our first and foremost duty to guide, show, and teach them how, but if we do not know ourselves, they have no chance of learning from us. We can only teach what we ourselves know. Corporal punishment is the tool of the ignorant that does not work, but causes irreparable damage to the mind long after the tears have dried and the pain has gone from the physical inhuman punishment the child has suffered. Torturing innocent children. because they are poor and cannot afford to buy new school shoes, a pencil, notebook, or their hair is long or they cannot remember a poem written by some long-haired guy 100-years ago; is that a proper way for allegedly educated and enlightened adults to behave towards our fellow, but smaller and fragile human beings? I don't think so. It's time for all 'teachers' to mature, leave their antiquated illegal practices to the dungeons of history and join the 21st Century. Not only is corporal punishment unlawful, it's immoral. Violence only begets violence and a violent, fearful society is neither pretty nor welcomed. In response to a petition lodged on July 18, 2010 by Barrister Sara Hossain on behalf of social conscience organizations Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and its sister Human Rights Organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the High Court Divisional bench comprising of Justice Md. Imman Ali and Justice Md. Sheikh Hasan Arif outlawed corporal punishment on January 13, 2011 and declared it "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child's fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom". The writer, Sir Frank Peters, is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, an award-winning writer and photographer of international renown, and a special friend of Bangladesh. He can be reached at e-mail: sirfrankpeters@googlemail.com