What Is A "Good" School ?!!

I have been in the Education sector throughout my life .Even if I did not want to learn anything from it –it would have been possible to do so .If you spend day in and day out in the corridors ,fields and classrooms (and in hostel rooms as well),then one will have definitive views on education .No matter how many books one reads and how many seminars one attends (though I love them since all of them are in 5 Star Hotels and many times in Dubai,Paris  and London.!!),nothing can replace the learning that takes place at ground zero –the classrooms ,the playing fields and the staff rooms .The best mechanic is the one who gets in front of the car and below the car .Not someone who is dealing with power point presentations and Blackberry phones .!!

I have often been asked “What is a good school”?.Or , “How do you create a good school.”?Both are absolutely relevant questions and someone who has spent a lifetime in schools should  be in a position to give some kind of a answer to it .Without going into too many details ,I will attempt to do so .

I will start by saying that a good school is NOT one that produces good academic results .!!Please don’t mistake  the trees  for the woods.You can be  outstanding student with a very weak and unimaginative personality .To do well in studies does not require creativity or intelligence .It does not require debating skills ,it does not require dissenting attitudes .It does not require a personality .It does not require charm or honesty (though at times it requires back stabbing and secrecy ).Of course you can be a brilliant academic with all those qualities –but you could be one without any of them also .You just need to be a slogger (the Indian educational system makes sure that by learning by heart you can score well ).Ravi Shastri scored many runs –but so did Vivian Richards .Ravi was pedestrian and laborious (please I know he hit 6 sixes in a over,and has terrific looks .Also that he is a brilliant commentator !),but Vivian just took your breath away with his brilliance .He could turn around a match in 30 minutes flat .Good students should be like that –brilliant so that they can turn around human societies and not  become just  cogs in the wheel of sluggish systems which as Arnold Toynbee put it are in a cycle of decay .Some schools are like that .I am not going to name any ,but I worked in one of them and which produced children who came from very humble backgrounds and now are in the forefront of change .Change which will address issues of global warming ,of nuclear proliferation,of drinking water ,of poverty ,of racial and religious intolerance ,of deadly diseases .Good schools are focussing on those areas rather than just bulk  producing children with high percentage and low values .They are celebrities in their fields .So don’t go by the results of a school .Most of them will advertise their results selectively .!!I know one school which had their worst result last year ,and their best result the year before last ,and they had advertised “The best result ever”!!Even if was true –whats the big deal .!!You don’t want brilliant students like Rajat Gupta ,do you ?

I think that one of  the characteristic of a good school has to be its discipline .No,No,No .Please don’t think I am talking of military kind of discipline .Discipline does not mean “don’t do this ,don’t do that”.It means “do this ,do that”,and also “don’t do this –but do that”.Most schools don’t tell children what to do .Most of us have forgotten how we used to struggle to find out what we are expected to do .Most schools have converted school assemblies into extra periods or “zero periods”.I don’t blame many of them .Most schools are responding to the demand of the times –Marks !!They are not bothered about values .Go for a school which emphasizes the importance of values .Go for a school which is headed by a person who has a reputation of being fair ,hardworking and intelligent .And who has a personality ,because he is competing against Saif Ali Khan when he is trying to tell the kids that eating chips is dangerous because one packet contains trans fat and salt that is enough for 2 days !!". Unless the leader walks the talk ,your child is never going to believe what he is being told from the pulpit .

A good school will emphasize the importance of the basics .It will emphasize the importance of coming to school on time ,and coming in uniforms that are prescribed.It will keep a record of the childs absence from school(its not a college -attendence is important ) .And remember –if you can convince your child to come to school on time and in proper uniform ,it means only one thing –the child and the parents are agreeing what you are saying .It shows a healthy respect for rules and regulations .It reflects that the children ,staff and parents are supporting you.It also means your buses are running on time .It means you have structures that are effectively performing their functions  .And it also means that you are ready to provide the necessary leadership to inspire a child to contribute to the world of tomorrow .And that is the game that we as schools are playing .We cant afford to lose it.

I often go to schools and watch children playing during recess time .Its a time when he/she(child ) is not under supervision .I can pick up the quality of the school by just observing them .Are they using abusive language .?Is there a element of bullying ?Are children making fun of a child with a a disability?.Is there concern if a child is hurt ?Is there a child sitting under a tree watching birds on it ?What food are they bringing in their tiffin?

I also go and visit the toilets of the school .!!Ah –perhaps the real indicator of what kind of children (and indirectly staff and parents they are exposed to) study in the school .Which again reflects the priorities of the school .I know of a school which produces excellent results .But visit their toilets .!!See how they stink not only in real terms ,but also in terms of the graffiti written on the walls .A good school will never have those kind of things .Go for a school which shows concern for cleanliness .Dont admit your child to a school which has 17 windowpanes broken and which has layers of dust on the window sills .It can never be good !!

And finally ,I always go to a school and  see the way the assembly is conducted .Sometimes I am asked to address assemblies in school. On such occassions ,i very cleverly push in the question

“How many of you want to be school teachers”?

Its the most important question and must be asked without giving any prior hint.!!Otherwise the response will be doctored !!If only a sprinkling of hands go up – it means that the staff is not good enough ,because our first heroes and heroines are /should be our teachers .I always wanted to be a teacher because Mr G.C.Gupta ,Mr and Mrs D’Souza ,Mr Chettri ,Bro Donovvan and many more were like icons for us .Their personality ,their glamour ,their knowledge ,their skills ,their following –was  amazing .They were like film stars in a school.!!We all wanted to be like them .And when I go to schools and find even primary children crinkle up their noses when being asked as to why they don’t want to be teacher –I know the answer .!!And read this one –I went to a school which had a outstanding Principal who was obviously gifted with looks ,composure,communication skills, and achievements to his name .It also had a very ordinary  staff .When I asked in the assembly as to how many wanted to be school teachers ,there were just a few hands that went up .And when I asked how many of them wanted to become a Principal –nearly all hands went up !!.I looked at them and said

“Become teachers ,because only then can you become a Principal”.I paused ,smiled and added

“like your Principal”!!!And again asked asked them ,as to how many of them wanted to become teachers so that they became Principals like their Principal .Nearly all hands went up !!!.

Go for a school that has charismatic and good teachers .And of course –a   school that has a good Principal .Because at the end of the day –marks only get you that far and no further .Its the impact of incidental and accidental learning that is more important .Computers don’t provide that .Human beings do .Ultimately all good schools are built by  human beings –and good ones at that .And ultimately good schools build good governments and nations .As Abraham Lincolm wrote .

“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”