To
all those who are convinced that the non-detention policy is harming education…
Children’s apparent lack of learning
becomes an issue mainly because it is easy to see that they have missed out on
something. The fact that at a younger age learning is very fast and that clear
milestones are available helps us perceive this – and therefore apply all kinds
of expectations, tactics, at times even coercion to ‘ensure’ learning – one
such being the detention system which, many believe, is needed in order to
maintain ‘quality’. By making children lose a year because we couldn’t ensure
their learning (and blaming them for it), we feel we can generate the fear required
to make them ‘serious’ and learn.
If we are convinced about this, why should
it apply only to school education? What if we could lay out clear benchmarks
for adults to learn and grow – in general as well as in the work they do.
Certainly it is possible to have a life-long ‘curriculum’ with two-year
benchmarks (over their entire careers, and even post retirement) for
educationists and curriculum developers, teachers, HMs, government officials,
managers, businessmen, fathers and mothers (and grandparents), journalists,
artists, municipal staff, auditors, accountants, administrators, intelligence
agents and politicians. What if there was a ‘detention system’ (in terms of not
being allowed to be promoted or get a pay increase or being sent back to some lower
‘grade’)? Yes, in some government jobs there is an ‘efficiency bar’ and the
supposed HR policies and internal competition are expected to sort this out.
But do they?
Can we as a nation claim that we have,
every year, demonstrated the improvement required to declare ourselves
‘promoted’ to the next level (whatever that is)?
And what happens when police are unable to
reduce crimes, leaders are unable to ensure the welfare of the poor, systems
are unable to deliver basics such as electricity / water / education / health,
or societies are unable to get men to have basic respect for women?
Who should be ‘detained’?
