Residential school advantages

Are residential schools still relevant in this day and age? This question has lingered in my mind for a long time against the backdrop of drift and decay in contemporary society. The plethora of scams exposed almost daily; the near indifference of government and Parliament to combating corruption unless pushed by the Supreme Court; general human intolerance, and the anger and angst I notice in todays youth, prompts me to question whats going on, and who will stem the rot.Its easy to blame governments at the Centre and states for the rot pervasive in society and its institutions. But its a great mistake to expect only government to rectify these ills, and shirk the responsibility of individuals towards social correction. Of course government and ministers are obliged to give the country good and honest governance. This is a legitimate expectation. But then, who elects governments at the Centre, in the states and at municipal levels? Its a popular maxim that people get the government they deserve. Whether its government, its institutions, society in general, and societys smallest component — the family — they are all made up of cognitive human beings. Therefore its not too far fetched to say that if there is moral degeneration in society and government, NGOs and education insti-tutions, it is because there is corresponding decay in human beings who cons-titute the building blocks of organisations, institutions and society itself. This is not to say that everyone is flawed, for that is far from the truth. Even today, there are socially conscientious individuals quietly going about their tasks, especially in the judiciary, print and electronic media, and in all walks of life. But the good and upright are clearly in a minority and their tribe has to increase. So where do we start and who will catalyse this change? In reply, I quote a line from our school song: Somebody has got to stop the rot, and why not you? This change has to begin within the basic building block of society i.e the individual. To change and transform the world, we have to keep transforming and improving ourselves. Only then will society and its institutions be renewed and restored. This brings me to the point of this column which is whether residential schools are still relevant today. Theres unanimous consensus that high quality education is the most powerful instrument of change for betterment of society. But theres no unanimity on what is quality education. I submit that good education is not merely about filling students like empty buckets with assorted knowledge, but about drawing out the wealth of talent and potential latent within all of them. Its also about inspiring children to excel in everything they undertake within and outside their classrooms. Parents are — or should be — every childs first teachers. Its their responsibility to be good role models to their children in thought, word and deed. Yet one of the primary reasons for loss of values in contemporary Indian society is the…