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IF a student makes a mistake, we should not hit, scold or speak to him/her in a way that hurts their feelings.

If that is so, then we shouldn’t advise them to study or insist on discipline either – because the student might not like it and might feel hurt.

What, then, is the duty of a teacher (or parent, for that matter)?

If we say, “Don’t strike the stones,” how will we ever have sculptures?

If we say, “Don’t till the land,” how will we ever have crops?

If we say, “Don’t put gold into the fire,” how will we ever get gold jewellery?

We must understand this: to “nurture” is not to “hurt”. That understanding is needed not just for students but for everyone, too.

A doctor gives an injection to a baby. If we tell him, “That hurts the baby, so it’s wrong,” then how will the baby grow up healthy?

At home, the father holds the baby’s hands, the uncle holds the legs, the grandmother steadies the head while the mother administers the bitter medicine that the baby hates.

Their actions seem cruel towards the child, so should they be punished?

The child’s well-being comprises two parts – physical health and inner (mental or moral) health.

For the sake of the child’s physical health, would you tell the medical professionals: “Don’t give injections, they hurt. Don’t give medicine, it’s bitter. Don’t perform surgery, it’s painful. Just give kind advice so that the child won’t feel bad and then send him or her home.”

If the hands of doctors are tied, the physical health of the child will deteriorate.

Schools exist for the inner well-being of children in a similar way.

But here, too, the teacher’s hands and independent thinking are being tied – by endless rules of “Don’t do this, don’t do that.” And we are all witnessing the result of this approach today.

When a school closes down, it is equal to a hundred prisons opening.

To make that happen, we do not need to shut the gates of the school; just tie the teacher’s hands, body and spirit.

If a student cannot be corrected by a teacher, then one day he will be corrected by the blows of the police – or by the walls of a prison.

Think about this, parents.

RBS

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