The news report that the teacher of a missionary school in Dangar, East Khasi Hills subjected a student of Class 6 to the most humiliating experience of putting a garland of shoes around the student’s neck because that student couldn’t speak English is outrageous. The question that arises is whether these are trained teachers and if trained then which institute trained them to adopt such derogatory practices? It would be good to know the Institute from which they graduated and whether such methods are still being taught to shame students who can’t speak a foreign language. That the Institution where this ghastly incident happened is named Mary Immaculate LP and UP School is ironic because missionary schools are supposed to be empathetic towards students and to try and understand the reasons why they cannot follow or understand a particular subject and speak a foreign language. In the first place the teaching skills of the teacher himself/herself is called to question here. The two staff who assisted in garlanding the poor student with shoes are of course simply following orders.
What is education if not to help the students learn life skills and to find the strength to overcome weaknesses? Sure the school teaches children to read, write, speak and express themselves because those are the basic skills. Children should also be taught communication skills and articulation in a language they are most comfortable in. The problem with teaching English to rural students is that they have no one at school or at home with whom they can converse in the language. Most schools have students of only one ethnic community and there is a hesitance to speak English with someone from the same tribal background. Children can learn English as they grow up and interact with others who don’t speak the vernacular language and such schools are mostly located in the urban areas or the suburbs. These are difficulties that teachers need to understand and therefore to find the right pedagogy to teach English.
Schooling is more than just learning to speak English. Children learn social skills and learn to interact with each other. They learn active listening and also to accept differences and to help their classmates when needed. These are interpersonal skills that schools inculcate in their students from an early age. It teaches them to live life beyond the classroom. Above all, teachers should empower children to think critically and not agree to everything but to ask questions when they are in doubt. Children must be so empowered that they would not fear making mistakes. That’s real education. But is that happening in our schools? Evidently not because teachers themselves are not educated enough. And that is the moral tragedy here. A child is ridiculed merely for not speaking English and the punishment has scarred him/her forever. The child may not want to enter another classroom ever! Isn’t that a murder of the child’s hopes and aspirations? Is this what teachers are schooled to do?