Are
the odds of your survival and welfare higher if you are a Princetonian rather
than a Lawschoolite? I don’t know. I am just a parent interacting with two
premier institutions because my daughters happen to be there; one the country’s
top ranking law school and the other an Ivy League American university.
 |
| Andre, Asawari, Zach and Catherine in Serbia |
Asawari
hurt her knee playing soccer on a rocky terrain while participating in an
environmental work camp (http://www.princeton.edu/bridgeyear/) in the mountains of
Montenegro on this 13th. A prompt communication and follow up came
forth from all three….the program director, the associate director and the
on-site co-ordinator. Within hours of her injury we knew the name of the town
she was taken to for treatment, the doctor’s prognosis and the follow up plan. While
the co-ordinator in Montenegro called us up on phone, the associate director
touched base with Asawari from Princeton. The doctor at the University Health
Services had been informed as per protocol and we continued to receive updates.
The tone and tenor all through was one of openness, regret at the incident and
an acknowledgment of responsibility.
 |
| Aqseer in Teheran |
In
Aqseer’s four years of tenure at the NLSIU(http://www.nls.ac.in/)I am afraid; there have
been a few incidents. Because they did not concern her directly, we heard of
them through secondary and tertiary sources. To be fair, the only two times I
contacted the staff, Dr V S Elizabeth, Faculty and Dr R Venkata Rao, Vice
Chancellor in particular, I received prompt and considerate responses. But I
suspect that in times of crisis it is the student body that closes ranks amongst themselves and
huddles around their own. I would be beyond delighted to be contested on this
but my fear is that the official student protection machinery at NLSIU is
nothing radically different from most other institutions in India.
We
operate in India on a need to know basis in organizations dealing with the
young. Most institutions follow a predictable pattern when stuck with a hot
potato: step one, go into denial mode; step two, try and hush it up; step
three, look for a scapegoat; step four, fix the blame and step five, wash your
hands with Dettol soap. This is not to say that institutions in other countries
are citadels of altruism and brimming with the desire to confess and come
clean.
It is in the projection, in public communication, in what is conveyed through
words and body language that we paint the odious picture of a hidebound
establishment, mulish in denial and focused primarily on saving their own skins
to the point of being offensive and insensitive.
At
the school hostel I assisted the warden in for five and a half years; I got a
ringside view of the official protocol on emergencies involving students. It
would be safe to say and is in no manner any justification that be it an IIT,
an elite high school or an MBA coaching centre in the suburbs, the abiding
survival philosophy is that of the Mahatma’s three monkeys….see no evil, speak
no evil, hear no evil. And while you are about this, do remember to keep your
“backs covered”.
The
following exchange would not qualify as unusual in a typical educational setup:
“Sir,
I am feeling unwell.”
“How
come, you were fine moments ago?”
“Sir,
I am having trouble breathing.”
“Your
parents never informed us in writing that you had asthma.”
“Sir..sir…sir…my
chest hurts.’
“Wait!
There is no ambulance and the doctor is on leave. Hold your breath a while, we
will have to call your local guardian…we are not equipped here to handle this.
Go get your LG’s number!”
No,
we are not prepared to deal effectively with medical and other emergencies in schools and
colleges. It is not impossible to work out the mechanics of training the staff,
putting together a protocol in place, setting up an adequate infrastructure but
where are we going to get the all important empathetic, non-judgemental and responsible attitude
from?
How much does it cost? What price would you put on it?!
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