HAVING SKIN IN THE GAME

Refer news item in The Hindu, “Supreme Court questions quality of education in UP” on 26^th Sep’23 regarding the incident in a Muzaffarnagar school where a teacher was shown, in a video, hurling communal remarks on the 7-year-old Muslim student and goading his class mates to thrash him. The Judge hearing the case, raised questions about religious discrimination and quality of education in Uttar Pradesh. He asked, “If a teacher tells her students to hit another because he belongs to a certain community, what is the quality of sensitivity of the education being given?” The news item reminded me of another judgement on our education system and my own experience when choosing a school for my daughter.

The pathetic conditions of the government primary schools in Uttar Pradesh had forced the Allahabad High Court judge Mr. Sudhir Agarwal to issue directives (dated 18 Aug 2015) to ensure that children/wards of government officials/servants, those serving in the local bodies, representatives of people and judiciary, etc., send their wards to these schools. “Only then would they be serious enough to look into the requirements of these schools and ensure that they are run in good condition.” The judgment makes much sense, for the very people who run and make policies for these educational institutes are reluctant to send their own children there. Much of the illness will be rectified if all elite government children attend public school along with other less affluent children. But what happened to that order? In 2018 Advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi filed a plea in Supreme Court alleging that the Uttar Pradesh govt. has failed to implement the 2015 order of the Allahabad High Court asking it to ensure that public servants, including top bureaucrats send wards to state run primary schools. 

Nassem Nicholas Taleb in his book ‘Skin in the Game’ attacks the so called ‘pseudo’ experts who sit on the fence and make decisions. He is curt in his message: “You just cannot walk away from the risks that you create for others.” A person at decision/policy making table must be part of the risk associated with his decisions.

         I joined this Air Force Station in Far East on my posting in 1997. My daughter was to start her class One after spending few years in play school. The query for schools threw up two options. A missionary school far off in the city where getting admission, I was told, was almost impossible. The second option which was being exercised by remaining Officers (who could not get admission in Convent) was Army School about 5 km. away. “But why not our own Air Force Primary School which was in our campus, run by us and at a stone’s throw from our house and office?” The response I got to this very obvious question was in confrontation with my ethics and morals. While infrastructure and proven record was cited by many, few were frank enough to admit that the fact that no Officers children are going there is also one of the main reasons. I always wanted my children to attend normal school and rub shoulders with all to grow up into a good, empathetic, and just citizen. Without a second thought I put her in The Air Force School.

         She was the only one who was picked up by a minivan from the Officers’ quarters for the Air Force School. Whenever opportunity permitted, I would drop her on the way out to my office and look up the teachers and principal to ask/discuss problems. These were promptly conveyed to higher echelons of administration that was always positive and forthcoming. Soon we had sanction for improvement of infrastructure as well as filling up of few pending vacancies for Teachers. I was made part of the selection committee. The Army School due to its reputation as well as herd mentality of people started attracting well off locals and other formations and was becoming crowded. The added burden got manifested in the behavior of staff and reduced individual attention to children. There were few instances of our children getting corporal punishment. When the parents approached the school on this issue they were not entertained satisfactorily. Many parents felt slighted and discriminated. In the meantime, Air Force school was improving in terms of infra structure and teaching staff. Few parents took out their children and got them admitted in the Air Force School, many followed. By the next two academic sessions each air force child was in our own school much to the delight of my daughter who now had her best friends living in neighborhood as her school and class mates. The standard of that school can be judged by the fact that on posting my daughter got certificate of appreciation from the school. Guess, for what? She had 100% attendance for the full 4 years, a rare thing for a toddler. I think the litmus test of the school is that children should love to be there. The school improved leaps and bounds by the faith shown by all of us which in the bargain had resulted as we all had skin in the game in the form of our children.