Quality – A School Teacher’s View

The other day I saw a presentation which inspired the students to keep on trying till success was achieved. Various role models of great achievers were presented.  They were all successful people -- Amitabh Bachhan, Dhirubhai Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahatma Gandhi.  A mention was made of “Abhraham Lincoln” too.  The presentation went on to show that after initial failures, these people achieved success by their grit and determination, refusing to be cowed down by hurdles and hardship.  Sachin who could not pass SSC exam 20 years back is now the subject of a text book lesson in SSC book.  Amitabh who was rejected for his hoarse voice in an audition has perhaps the most admired voice.

There are hundreds successful people in the fields of business, sports and acting.  By presenting them as the people who succeeded, we are presenting them as role models.  Role models are those who can be emulated.  We have to think whether they all can be emulated.  Gandhi or Lincoln or even Sachin, can be emulated for their qualities of heart, head and hand and fill the bill of role models.

We want to see good qualities in our students.  When we make a comment,’ that person or that student is very smart’, what it is that we convey.  He usually       wears a half smile on his face.  He has persuasive voice and a gift of speech.  He can easily influence others.  He would be a good salesman. However, he may not be able to sell anything to a buyer a second time if the product he had praised sky high did not come up to the buyer’s expectation.

Another salesman earns a reputation that a product proves to be what he claimed it would be. The buyer would go for his product as he knows that if he says the product has these qualities, it would have those attributes. The claim that honesty or truthfulness does not pay is fallacious; it pays in the long run.

Once, a large lot of umbrellas in a big department store got soaked in water.  The owner decided to get rid of them at a drastically reduced price to make the floor space available. He asked the new sales manager to arrange to get those sold off.  The next day the owner was shocked to read a classified advertisement in the local paper reading that ‘a lot of soiled but useful umbrellas are available at 50% cost today, from 9 a.m. at a special sale counter.’ “What would people think of the store?” “What harm it would do to the reputation of the store?”  the owner wondered. When he reached the store he found that there was a queue of people waiting for the store to open to buy those umbrellas. A factual statement telling the readers that the product was blemished but useful had made the people understand the truthfulness.  And those who wanted usable product at half the price had formed a queue.
 
Alexander, the great, conquered half the world.  No greater warrior had been born till then and even later who equalled this feat.  Yet he asked the soldiers that his palms should be put outside his coffin so that every one would know that he carried nothing with him to another world on his last journey and all that he had amassed by such bloodshed would be left behind.  Of what use his conquering half the known world

 Educationalist and Director, Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, indore


was to him or to the world ultimately?  He only wreaked havoc; lives were lost, property destroyed, and a great tragedy was the fate of millions. What name did Nader Shah or Changez Khan earn though they trampled over thousands of miles and killed lakhs of persons?

It is goodness that is important.  Gandhiji did not want to be the first President or Prime Minister of free India.  Vinoba Bhave accepted neither or any other assignment for that matter.  Instead, he traveled through the country and in his own ways tried to bring equality, peace and hormony through Bhoodan or Gramdan movement.
 
A great man means to most of us, as one who has done well in his own chosen field, be it business, industry, politics, sports, films and so on.  And yet is each of these great men a role model for the students?  

Were the means employed to achieve the goal by all of them fair? Or was the axiom ‘all in fair in love & war’ was applied to trade and commerce? Did a person follow the law of the land in letter and spirit? Has the person understood the principles of ethical practices? 

Some industries made it a rule to pay all the taxes even though it made their product cost more.  Yet they not only survived but flourished, as they followed the law of the land and believed in the principle of ‘Value for money.’

A billionaire was once asked by a budding journalist what his worth was. The former thought for a minute and gave the figure of a few million dollars.  Surprised, the journalist said,” Sir, your worth is rated at many billion dollars”. The reply was, “It may be the evaluation of my assets, but if you ask my worth, it is what I told you, because I donated that much money to hospitals and universities and that is my worth.”

Bill Gates probably has one of the richest charities as Bill & Melinda Gate foundation.  Jack Chan helps youth in Africa. Harvey Muffet supports many charities.  People like Baba Amte, Anna Hazare, are known for helping others.  There are scores of people who live for others.  Known Indian IT leaders help the cause of education or provide ambulances to save lives from road accidents.    These people are the real great people, for they live not only for themselves but for others.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                  
Right from the earlier days of independence it was felt that education should promote and sustain national, social, and personal i.e. moral and ethical values.  Greatness without goodness is not only useless for the society but it is positively dangerous as it destroys the moral fiber and puts forth wrong ideals before the young impressionable minds.

The need of the day, therefore, is to realize that education without idealism is not only useless but is harmful.  It makes the bright young people totally self centered. Their goal is success at any cost, advancement by any means. We will be producing intellectual monsters who will have no feeling for others.  Making personal progress should be the first goal, but means are as important, nay, more important than goal.  Sadhan Shuchita, the purity of means, was what Gandhiji asked.  When his nonviolent movement took a violent turn,  he called it off, as for him the means were more important than end. Vardhaman or Siddhartha would have ruled over their kingdom, but they relinquished their thrones to alleviate the misery of the mankind, and have ruled over the hearts of millions ever since.

We have to wake up to the fact that efforts are to be made to help students develop this aspect of personality.  Be it Radhakrishnan Commission, be it Kothari Commission, be it others, all have underlined the importance of incorporating education in moral and ethical values in educational curriculum.  These suggestions have not been followed and implemented. Gandhi said education is the development of body, mind and spirit.  We have forgotten the education of spirit.  Vivekanand said education should develop character. However, the secular education does not provide for the development of spirit or character. It promotes skills, competencies and confidence and provides a lot of information to stuff the mind. Spiritual education has no place in the educational scenario and no wonder the final product we get from institutions is ambitions, heartless, self-centered young people.

We think it is not our responsibility. We are here to impart knowledge. Let the family do this task, let the society do it.  And what society is doing is just the opposite.  It gives recognition to money, status and power, gained by fair means or foul.  Films, telly serials, magazines, sites on internet are promoting celluloid heroes rather than real life heroes, rights rather than duties, vengeances rather than pardon, glamour rather than simplicity, arrogance rather than humility. That’s what society is doing for the moral and ethical development of the youth.

It has now to become the business of all the institutions, the schools and the colleges, to see that we do not churn out self centered arrogant individuals but the young men and women who think beyond themselves, who have sympathy for the needy, who are as careful about means as they are of their goals, who do not compromise with their principles and who are feeling individuals.  A little bit of idealism does everyone good.  It gives some meaning to the life, it gives some purpose for living. Some courses to make students realize ‘what is the purpose of life’, ‘what gives ultimate happiness’, ‘how do we attain peace’, ‘thinking beyond oneself’, ‘competition with self, cooperation with others’ etc.  if included in the curriculum, would do the young men and women lot of good.

All this may sound impractical, but history tells us that what was thought impractical ultimately turned the tide.  Those who are making efforts in this direction are producing ideal young men and women. Let’s emulate them. If we don’t, history will blame us for not doing the right thing at the right time.