The Hindu Business Line : Twenty new friends

As I was getting ready to leave the US for India, in early February, my grand-daughter and grand-son, respectively studying grades 5 and 2, sprang a surprise. They asked me to visit their school and spend an hour each in their classes.

The Shake Rag Elementary School, located in the town of Duluth, Georgia, has very good infrastructure comparable to any good public (government) school in the US.

With a maximum class size of 20, instruction is based on a combination of teaching, class-work and projects.

There is no dearth of reading and teaching materials; dining halls are expansive; and auditorium, library and other facilities are excellent. The teachers are well paid. I should think that the good environment of the school and the decent pay were the best motivators for the teachers to aim for excellence.

It was a challenge to communicate with the little scholars of Grade 5. I spoke to them the importance of mind and muscle power — education and health — to gain money power and invest part of it to ensure upgrading knowledge and maintaining good health.

Their questions to me were wide-ranging and covered topics such as my educational background, countries I have visited, what I like most in the US, the articles and books I have written, etc.

The next day I received 20 letters from the Grade 5 students, thanking me for spending time with them and for advising them to achieve the best in terms of mind power. Nineteen of the pupils addressed me as Bhanoji.

It is worth reminding ourselves that the school is where the mind is moulded, unity fostered and nationalism promoted. It is the duty of the government to invest in schools and teachers a lot more than has been done so far.

(The author, a Visiting Faculty at Sri Sathya Sai University, Prashanti Nilayam, can be reached at bhanoji@gmail.com)

Bhanoji Rao

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