Schools are not islands

Ramazan has begun. This month, our life may or may notchange, but at least our routine changes. We suddenly face a new schedule, anew turn of the night and the day.

No I am not lecturing about `dos and don’ts’ of this months.I have nothing to add to the spiritual dividends of this month. Let’s see thesubject from a material perspective. Rational – if material soundsinappropriate. We don’t mean to impose a religious code on people. No form ofworship can be enforced in any free and civilized society. To fast or not fastis your choice. But there is something called sensitivity which asks for care –and that is what we miss.

   

Our schools function normally in this month and they should.Suspending the routine will not only be unrealistic but undesirable too. But acalibration is required to suit the occasion. The bare minimum our schools cando is to reschedule the internal exams, adjust school timings and take somepressure off the students. After all life goes beyond a classroom. If Ramzan isa consideration, (and if we accept it’s) it demands attention. Not as areligious injunction, but as a social obligation.

Schools are not islands. They operate in a system based onsome traditions. Celebration is an evolutionary fact. Non-humans know no joy,but we are unfortunately human beings who need variety. Take religion asvariety and give it the care it deserves. And this doesn’t apply to a specificcommunity. All religious sensitivities have a value and all need beacknowledged.

The problem with our school system is typical. In the nameof liberal education, we are becoming more parochial, more slavish – and in asense – more uncivilized. To us respecting a religious sensitivity suddenlygoes against our `secular’ principles. We submit we are not Taliban. We becomeapologetic for what we should have been confident about. We have someoverzealous more-loyal-than-the-king brand educationists who mean businesswhatever the case. They conduct exams on Eid days so that they are rememberedfor their `commitment’. They behavev like machines and machines don’tunderstand any social non-sense.  

What do they want to prove? If doing it means competing withthe West, then their ignorance is even more pathetic. They say we meanbusiness.  See what they do in the Westand how they mean business? Their approach to religion may or may not be spiritual,but their faith takes a social form. How they add colour to their life bycelebrating festivals and celebrating to the full. A confident atheistcelebrates Christmas and Easter with the same farvour as his fellow believer.Both have different perceptions of faith, but both share a sprit, a value, amutual respect for each other. It’s not a battle to prove or disprove God orJesus. It’s a simple socio-cultural function they understand in its context.But here our performance is based on the points we score on a secular front. Weforget that the real secular education takes care of religious sensibilities ona secular level.

By the way those we want to appease do it even morefiercely. See how everything changes on a Diwali or Holi. But we can’t spoilour report card by offering our students some relief in the month of fasting.Ramazan is just another month, Eid is just another day. After all we meanbusiness.

Tailpiece:

A man attended his usual official duty even on the day ofhis wedding. A few extraordinary minds defined him as a `committedprofessional’. Others called him a fool.

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