I don't know how ethical I am being here by posting this but I feel an important aspect of education in Andhra Pradesh has seen complete neglect and I came face to face with this. I was asked to speak to lecturers who teach political science at the plus two level. The experience I had was even to a cynic like me, very shocking. I went expecting that the teachers would be lackadaisical, not pay attention to what I would be saying to them. When I reached the place I was told to expect hostility and that already three teachers had been booed when they tried to speak to them. When the resource persons spoke in English they were asked to switch to Telugu. I entered into a room full of people shouting at each other and when the person from the hosts side tried to introduce me to the audience, there were shouts of "we are government servants and we are getting substandard coffee and food". Through this the host valiantly tried to continue introducing me but that only led to greater push back from the "teachers"who wanted to settle the issue once and for all. (The issue being lack of proper coffee and food). I was asked to get to the podium in the midst of this mayhem and I obliged.
As my lecture on secularism proceeded (I was asked to speak about the various meanings of secularism) slowly a silence dawned in the room. Before the optimists among you jump to the conclusion that this had something to do with my ability to bring order among the unruly or my ability to soothe the "government servants"whose ego was bruised, I would like to state that peace descended since most of the "teachers"left the room in complete disgust after I started speaking in English. A handful were left and more than half of the handful that were left were drawn into deep sleep by the sonorousness of my voice. A few grudgingly heard what I was saying while about four seemed to actually listen to what I had to say. Four out of sixty five, I guess things could be worse.
I am sure you have got the point that I am trying to make. These are teachers and their behaviour was such. Every year, many students pass through the classes and lectures of these teachers, one of whom spelt Karl Marx as Karal Marks. We in the University inherit these students and push them out with postgraduate degrees without making any changes in them or their behaviour. I noticed that there was also a parallel course for teachers of mathematics and they seemed orderly in their behaviour and also saw some discussions in their room. So this is obviously a malady plaguing the social sciences because what we see in the university is similar to this. So do I then conclude that social sciences have whithered away and produce teachers and students who are anti-social in their disposition? You decide and tell me.
P.S: As usual my disclaimer. I have not proof read what I have written so I maybe excused. Thank You.
