HAVE we ever wondered why young children come to the school with drooping shoulders and negative body language, but leave the school at the end of the day in high spirits? These two divergent tales of gloom and glee are signs enough that schools are not where our young really want to be. It is not a place they look forward to attending every day.
In the Elizabethan period, schoolboys had to memorise lengthy Latin speeches for school. It is easy to understand why a lad might not hurry off to school in the morning, knowing a long tedious day of memorisation work awaited him there.
In our context, replace Latin with English, and it becomes clear that when students have to study through books in a language that is not their mother tongue or even in the national language, schools stop being attractive. Studies become boring; a burden.
The other demotivating factor is the unfriendly milieu of school. The stern looks of teachers, the fear of being punished for not doing homework and the bullying class-fellows, all these work as deterrents. Being unable to express their fears at a tender age, they drag their feet, but parents use force and punishment to make them attend school without bothering to find the reason. It sometimes develops in children the habit of lying to their parents and teachers. A healthy communication is the only way out and the responsibility rests with parents and teachers who should go out of their way to make children comfortable.
Bullying, harassment and physical transgressions are rarely reported by students because of lack of communication with parents and the cold behaviour of teachers and school authorities. Besides, students with struggling eyesight fail to note down correctly what is written on the board. Teachers must be vigilant enough to locate such students and alert the parents.
Lack of infrastructure at schools also works negatively in this regard. Suffo-cating, poorly-lit classrooms, and filthy washrooms discourage students from going to school. A little attention is in order.
M. Nadeem Nadir
Kasur
Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2022
