How Schools induce College behaviour
Two seemingly unrelated incidents. Yet its funny when I think about it, one's almost a mirror image of the other.
Driving back a few days ago, we have this conversation where a colleague tells me about the school and college system in India. School's pretty good, as its rigorous; college's terrible (barring a few good ones) as there's no rigour, plus the teaching's pathetic. I give it some thought and say, really? Sure, faculty may be to blame, but what about the kids? How many kids in India go to graduate school (read, college) to study? Isn't college a waiting liberation from the oppression of schools that they just been through? Kids at college aren't in interested studies, 'cos they've just gotten out of a system that was more than overbearing. The stress induced fatigue from school now finds an avenue called college, for release. Therefore its now all play.
Another colleague of mine visits an authorised Maruti service station to get his dented car door repaired. He wants to claim what's been termed 'near cash-less' Insurance settlements. The settlement is supposed to turn out hassle free. Well they must have been kidding when they named the scheme 'hassle free', because hassle's all my colleague got. A few hours of haranguing resulting in heightened stress levels and fatigue sees him almost succumbing to whatever the service guys offer. The fatigue almost does him in, for all he seeks is 'release' from the hassle he is going through.
Stress/fatigue driven behaviour is what's common to these seemingly unrelated incidents. A state that sees those involved looking to a solution that would set them 'free'. In the former, that freedom comes at the cost of graduate learning, in the latter it results in a near agreement to lousy terms set by service personnel.
As consumers we've encountered this sort of a scenario many a times. I bet, the ones who didn't succumb are but a few. Of course, the seller on that particular day may have gotten your patronage because you couldn't take the stress any more. But what the seller doesn't see is a lost consumer. As far as I know neither is my colleague ever going back to that service station nor is he willing to buy another Maruti car. Now as for the school, it may have exacted obedience from kids, but what's its lost out on is an enquiring mind that enjoys the spirit of discovery. In its place, what it creates is a stressed out kid, waiting to play truant as soon as he's in college.
Pity.
Driving back a few days ago, we have this conversation where a colleague tells me about the school and college system in India. School's pretty good, as its rigorous; college's terrible (barring a few good ones) as there's no rigour, plus the teaching's pathetic. I give it some thought and say, really? Sure, faculty may be to blame, but what about the kids? How many kids in India go to graduate school (read, college) to study? Isn't college a waiting liberation from the oppression of schools that they just been through? Kids at college aren't in interested studies, 'cos they've just gotten out of a system that was more than overbearing. The stress induced fatigue from school now finds an avenue called college, for release. Therefore its now all play.
Another colleague of mine visits an authorised Maruti service station to get his dented car door repaired. He wants to claim what's been termed 'near cash-less' Insurance settlements. The settlement is supposed to turn out hassle free. Well they must have been kidding when they named the scheme 'hassle free', because hassle's all my colleague got. A few hours of haranguing resulting in heightened stress levels and fatigue sees him almost succumbing to whatever the service guys offer. The fatigue almost does him in, for all he seeks is 'release' from the hassle he is going through.
Stress/fatigue driven behaviour is what's common to these seemingly unrelated incidents. A state that sees those involved looking to a solution that would set them 'free'. In the former, that freedom comes at the cost of graduate learning, in the latter it results in a near agreement to lousy terms set by service personnel.
As consumers we've encountered this sort of a scenario many a times. I bet, the ones who didn't succumb are but a few. Of course, the seller on that particular day may have gotten your patronage because you couldn't take the stress any more. But what the seller doesn't see is a lost consumer. As far as I know neither is my colleague ever going back to that service station nor is he willing to buy another Maruti car. Now as for the school, it may have exacted obedience from kids, but what's its lost out on is an enquiring mind that enjoys the spirit of discovery. In its place, what it creates is a stressed out kid, waiting to play truant as soon as he's in college.
Pity.
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