The Talented Corrupt

Corruption is becoming more and more difficult in the new age as even the sleeping agencies start to move. Sadly, as the means become difficult and challenging; smarter and more talented corrupt appear on the stage. They find means that facilitate their desires in a way that goes undetected. We could blame the system for it or we could argue that the agencies responsible to watch over such acts are to blame. When people bribe their way to attain positions and when the undeserving acquire jobs and positions that allow them be corrupt; what do we expect? We’re giving a mouse a piece of cheese and expecting them not to eat it? Then how can we really blame the mouse for eating the cheese?

If we talk about the fraud worth 176.72 million, that was reported on 11^th April, 2016, pertaining to the NIB bank. The accused were a Regional Distribution Head and an Operational manager, who were later arrested. Regardless of what happened about the case, I’d like you to think about these designations. When we think about such high tier designations, we know that they ask for serious experience and high quality education. Which implies, that the accused and those who committed the fraud were both experienced and educated; not to mention, were also highly paid individuals. Sure, greed did came into play but if they really were qualified and educated, they wouldn’t have done it.

This also doesn’t mean that our system isn’t to blame either. Let’s take a look at yet another incident that happened because our system allowed it. The one reported today about the land scandal of 193,000 kanal. Said land was acquired via verdicts of fake courts, lawyers, judges and witnesses. In other words, people became land owners by manipulating the system. This means that they had enough knowledge of the system to manipulate and bypass it. This also means that our system allowed this to happen. Our system had the Achilles heel that despite being almost perfect; due to the lack of monitoring, it allowed such fraud and corruption to take place.

Even our educators do not spare a chance of corruption; they also do their best to exploit situations when they get a chance. I am not speaking in general but I do mean to address the authority. And I’m not speaking based on hearsay either; I speak out of personal experience. I too fell victim to bribery when I was forced to pay for my HSSC certificate. My former principal had acquired the HSSC certificates of my batch and had placed them in the care of a teacher. After tracing the whereabouts of the certificate, we found our way to her home and she demanded the unnecessary payment of 500 PKR. As we were aware that no such payment was necessary, we demanded a reason. For which we were answered, that everyone was being asked to pay it. Therefore, having to deal with a female, a mother and a former teacher; I had no choice but to give in. As a last resort to deter her from her wrong doing, I even demanded a receipt of the payment to which she gladly complied. Here is an image of the receipt that I got for paying the amount to acquire my HSSC certificate.

Our choices have given birth to this form of corruption. If the board hadn’t given my certificate to the principal, I wouldn’t have to fall victim to this bribery. If the bank had given those designations to the truly worthy, that fraud wouldn’t have happened. And if the agencies responsible to monitor corruption had kept an eye on these fraudulent claims; the land fraud would not have happened. All of it could have been avoided from various methods but none of it was.

In conclusion, when we ask for a change we must start from ourselves. The educated must think of the responsibilities that fall on them and they should know that they are accountable for what they do.  

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.