“CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME”

-Charu Krishna Tailang

Dear School Management,

Debika, a 14 year aged girl ended her own life under distress of accessibility of online classes in Kerala last week, because of poverty of her parents they were not able to fix the problem of devices like TV or smartphones, by which she could access these classes.

Unfortunately this is the end result of the lockdown imposed since three months for her family but there may be many more family in India like debika’s who are facing this distress during the post Covid-19 period.

As a parent or teacher we are witnessing this state of depression in under privileged children but you are enjoying the credit of so-called success of Online classes which are praised and appreciated by your high-commands and pseudo-elite class or privileged although you know very well that it’s reach in India is upto 1/4th to 1/3rd population only, specially in government sector and there are many psycho-social problems in this eco-system.

It is seen that everything is unusual and everyone is distressed due to Covid-19 a global pandemic which made us measurable in every aspect but despite of this depressive environment you are trying to do continuous efforts of selfless service for welfare of destitute and marginalised section of our society especially for children who are most suffered.

We were filled with great respect to you after seeing the pictures of your social work which are shared by you on social media platforms, like in a picture a girl is taking food from your hands and giving million dollar smile after getting thermal screened but we are little confused also to think that when these activities are organized from school with the help of resources and infrastructure developed by our children, then why are you not involving anyone to contribute either teacher or parent and making this programme as your own charity show?

In this period of crisis you are doing usual business of school also for development and growth. For stepping up on the path of digitalization, you opened online portal for new session’s admission with increased fee which may be a new milestone for your school and when everyone is equivocally under distress due to global pandemic and economic crisis, you are thinking about your school journey with International standards.

Recently in conversation with a student, he asked me that, what type of expenditures you want to increase in this fiscal year? Where Government of India and all state authorities including Govt. of Maharashtra are trying to reduce estimated budget and limiting themselves into essential recurring expenses till next three fiscal years and giving so many discounts..

Subsidies and moratorium to term loans for pumping some momentum into crashed economy, where MSME sector is completely destroyed and unemployment rate is more than 27% resulting in distressed exodus of migrant labours in millions, in this chain of relief..

When government is requesting to all schools to give benefits of instalments for depositing fees and if there is no immidiate need of fund then fee may be reduced for distressed parents also but you are making policies of increasing revenue collection by raising school fee.

He made fun also by asking this, do you plan to install two projectors in each classroom?

These incidents haunt us and forced to think that what is the meaning of all these facilities when we are not able to provide that quality education which can produce mentally and emotionally strong, awaken and valued citizen who went to eminent service of the nation?

We are not able to understand that at one front you are distributing food to ensuring survival of some suffering children and get amazed with their smile and on another front you are making decisions to snatch hundreds of smiles from the faces of your school children who are not able to afford their education in this period of crisis like Debika.

Although so many privileged family like us may manage all these things but in the view of current situations please withdraw the decision of increasing school fee.

When government is telling to reduce school annual fee through resolution for giving some relief to distressed parents, atleast withhold this fee increase till two fiscal or academic years.

You can make arguments in favour of fee hike by saying that, for giving salaries to teachers it is essential to make collections of fee and approval of fee hike was made already in last session only but if your school is granted by government, then there is no need to fee hike.

Like after the demonatization in 2016 everyone was justifying to cash-less economy and promoting to digital payments, nowadays everyone including you is emphasising on Online classes as only solution of current situations, although it may have a threat of infodemic also.

You can say for making our education system as a green economy with high-tech digital infrastructure, fee hike is inevitable to provide all these facilities and services by this year after Covid -19 but burden of the aftermath lies only on parents and teachers who are seeking facilities like devices and internet and affording every shortcomings of this e-learning process.

As we know that “Charity begins at home” so, according to that we have to find out the deprived section of our school family first and help them to get rid from their destitute and depression.

If you think school as your family then bring smile on face of every member like Debika first and then make school as a happy family instead of going to the society for seeking million dollar smiles as social reformer.

#The writer Charu Krishna Tailang is a Parent-Teacher of Central Railway School, Kalyan.