The Irony of Educationists & the Educated

When it comes to educationists and the educated in Pakistan, there’s a lot that can be said and criticized. So, I’m not going to indulge in a similar manner and follow the typical stereotype. Instead, I’m going to look at the same topic with the help of something I recently noticed. In order to do so, first I’d like you to see this image:

If due to some reason you can’t read or having difficulty reading the contents of the letter/notice, this is the body of the letter:

“1. It is stated that kindly instruct your bank to deposit Army Public School (Zamzama) Junior fee bill within due date. After due date any fee bill of this institute may not be accepted.

2. Fwd for necessary action please. “

This letter is written to the Manager of Askari bank and written by the Principal of Army Public School (Zamzama). I will not indulge the identities of the individuals representing these designations. What my intention and the intent of this article is to express my disappointment. And instead of criticizing the organizations and representatives, my point of view and this article is meant to attempt to correct the mind set, the thought process and the mistakes.

Other than the obvious grammatical mistakes of this letter, which I will not point out as they are as clear as day; the letter itself and its display is incorrect. The Principal asked the manager to instruct the ‘bank’ itself. However, the bank is an entity, an institute or organization and thus cannot be instructed. Instead, the Principal should have asked to instruct bank officials, employees and/or staff. Why does an educationist not know something so basic? It is indeed a distressful thing to learn.

From the manager’s end, despite him being a qualified individual and a professional providing his services in the field; he does not know how to treat an internal letter. This letter is obviously meant to be an internal letter written from one organization to another. Despite the lack of a reference number, displaying it in the open is not the appropriate procedure. What the Manager should have done, as Askari Bank is most likely an ISO approved organization/entity, is that they should have assigned a reference number to this letter. Then, they should have maintained a record of it and dispatched an immediate memo notifying the staff and officials of the policy update. Meanwhile, a notice should have been written and displayed for the public to see. What they actually did was just display the letter for everyone to see? The laziness itself is appalling but how an educated and experienced professional is responsible for it is even more than just disappointing.

This is the disappointing procedural situation but the major and actual dilemma which we all know is also evident. A school, an institute meant to nurture the brains of our little ones develops such a policy? Is that even acceptable? Is the main purpose of schools now to ensure that fees are paid in time? While most of our private business owners have made it a habit and norm to pay the salaries of their employees late; our schools are making policies that no late fees would be accepted. So, we’re slowly leaning towards an environment where only the privileged will have access to education.

Dear Educationists, please redesign the way you think and this time, please remember to include some humanity. Dear Educated, please don’t forget what you have learned and what is expected of you. Please do not just collect millions of rupees in salaries, try and earn it for once.