Dreams ...

I wanted to write about this for a long time now. But somehow could not get enough heart to do it. Finally, last sunday when i was skimming through the Sunday Times of TOI, I read about mid day meal scheme, how popular it is becoming in attracting children to the schools and how more money should be pumped into such similar schemes.
I agree that such schemes help in drawing a large number of children and teachers alike to the school. But are we not missing the BASIC point here? Is the basic motivation for all this - just to draw students to the school? Is it not to impart elementary skills (reading , writing) and basic knowledge about themselves and the world around and how they can use this knowledge to their advantage? Is it not to make them feel less alienated in this world? If it is all this then I don't know how many schools are actually accomplishing it.
The one that I visited almost an year back was not.

This particular school- a small ramshackled building in a narrow serpentine lane, was located in a village near my college. During a last semester of B.Tech, with lot of time to while away, couple of us, decided to go there and teach the students in afternoon. But what I saw there, stirred up medley of emotions (helplessness, pity to name a few) in me.

It was a primary school till 5th standard, with just two teachers for all the classes, all subjects.
Most of the students (barely-fed and dressed) came to school, motivated by food. This is good in the sense that they get to have atleast one balanced diet a day, but the problem is that the school lasted only till the time food lasted.

Agonised to see the whole thing, we decided to teach them anyways. When i was interacting with some 5th standard students, I was shocked to see that many of them fumbled and faltered while counting till 100. Though we gave them some basic lessons in counting but I don't know how much of one day's gyan will help them. Gradually I began talking to them about array of other simple things which used to intrigue me as a kid. Like how clouds are formed, why sun always rises in the east, how our earth looks and moves. For the last one, I used my right hand folded in a loose fist and tried explaining them how it is revolving around sun, with other hand posed as sun. The curious gleam in their eyes and their awed smile was enough to convince me that they were enjoying the whole process and I can go on explaining.

Then suddenly, I dont know what motivated me to ask them the question--What they wanted to be in Life. Zapped !!! Most of the kids where not very sure of what I was asking, some of them , could not see how is that even related and others just could see their teacher's as the best job in their location.

I remember, at that age when anyone asked me that question... there would be some 100 different, unrelated answers I could give, all at the same time. I wanted to be an astronaut so that I can go on moon, I wanted to a doctor and an IAS officer, Miss Universe and a film actress and thousands of other eclectic stuff. Each of these dreams has motivated me during different part of my life and has given me a reason to be what I am presently.

Then it struck me that may be, just may be I can quip them with dreams which they could nurture and get motivated by. But all in vain, cause I could not get my brain to churn out a decent, intelligent answer.

I don't know who could be blamed for the way the system is presently, but what people like me can least do is fill them with real dreams ... It helps, or so I think.