Dear,..........,
Hello. I am now moving on to my continuing journey of life in S.P.School, Srinagar. In a couple of months I was feeling quite comfortable in the job. Gulam Rasool Dar, the principal was a tough administrator and a leader. He was in control in the school. He had a very powerful voice. He would shout a lot at both the teachers and the students. Most teachers who belonged to the city would not want to be on his wrong side because that would cause them to be transferred out to village postings. Having favourable feedback from my students and also obliging the principal by teaching his sister's son free at his home meant that he would be soft on me. However one Monday day, when we met in the school, he complained that I had not wished him when I had seen him at Habba Kadal Chowk the previous day. I told him that I had not been at Habba Kadal Chowk the previous day, he did not believe me. He insisted that he had seen me. Later I found out that he had seen my elder brother who looked almost same as me. The Principal forgot the incident and he did not cause me a problem in the school at all because of this incident.
It was now time for final tests before winter. The boys had to be cleared for being allowed to sit for the matric board exams. In government schools almost everyone would be allowed to sit for the board exams. But here they did not clear about twenty students out of total three hundred students. Most of these twenty failed students had been failures for last two to three years. The reason that these boys were allowed in the school was that they were soccer players. There used to be annual soccer tournament for schools. The main rival for our school used to be M.P.School. These failed students would ensure winning trophy for the school. This would go on every year and the rivalry was like India-Pakistan matches.
These twenty students formed a school section. The head of the science wing earmarked me to teach them one of the two science subjects. Another teacher, who was a few years senior to me in age and was an M.sc, was assigned to teach the other science subject. When I first entered the class, I was seriously frightened to see the boys physically. More that half of them appeared to be older than me and also taller and physically stronger than me. I had no choice but to be a strong person. I straightway told them that I would help them with their studies and ensure their success in clearing the matric. They decided to believe me and listen to me. I taught them well and helped them get interested in studies. I taught them for about six months. They became disciplined. But they were rough with the other teachers. The students wanted them to teach the same way as I was teaching them. This caused those teachers to resent me. Later in my life, some of these students met me. Half of them had passed the Matric exams. Two of these had become clerks in the Government treasury in J&K Bank. Every time, I would go to the bank with my father to help him draw the pension, these two persons would always help in getting the payment without any hassles. One of these boys had an apple orchard. He came to my house with an apple box as a gesture of gratitude on his passing the Matric exams.
I was there in the school, when the government sanction for the Laboratory equipment and consumables was received. Being the junior most science teacher, no one involved me in the process of procurement. The science head and the Principal sorted out something between themselves and the supplier. The result was some minimal consumable were received in the school. I did with my students in the laboratory what had been done to me when I was a student in the same school a few years back. I helped the students cook the observation and record them in the laboratory notebook.
I liked the job. But I found that every teacher considered it a bad one. They were not happy with low pays, less respect in the society for the teachers and frequent transfers. In later years, when I was not a teacher, there would be reason for more frustration in the teaching community. Muslim staff members agitated for quota in promotions based on religion. They said that Muslims were 80% in population, so every time a promotion list was issued, 80% Muslims and only 20% for other non muslims should be there. However only 20% of teachers were Muslims and 80% non muslims. The State Government agreed with the logic of population figures and issued orders accordingly. Suddenly Muslims teachers with even less than ten years seniority in the profession were made Principals and Headmasters in schools over the head of other non muslim teachers with twenty five years and more experience. The Non Muslim teachers went to the Supreme Court and pleaded their case. The court gave them a favorable verdict after many years efforts by the suffering teachers. The state Government implemented the court order by giving the benefit but did not take it away from the Muslims. The Muslims continued to get higher pay than the other non muslim teachers. The Hindu community suffered in silence. There was only one silver lining in the teaching community. The children of most of the teachers studied well and did very well in life.
Bye for now. Hope to be there tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment