February 02, 2011
As a former student I'm addressing my remarks to prospective parents.I want to set the record straight regarding this so called "better known school"
I studied in this school between the years 1983 and 1989 (thats a solid seven years of jail time .....and it was rigorous)when it was still known as St. Pauls English School.Please note the name ladies and gentlemen.The name was concocted obviously because most of the so-called good schools in Bangalore at that time were and still are run by missionary institutions or under the umbrella of the Church of South India.Please also note the word 'English" in the title.This was meant to convey the impression that the medium of instruction was in the oh-so-superior English language and not Kannada the language of the great unwashed masses .Case in point-I remember some of my fellow students being subject to severe corporal punishment for speaking in Kannada and not English by some of the management including the Chairman Mr. Nissar Ahmed.(Did we really throw out the British in 1947?)I'd like to see Mr.Nissar Ahmed wield the cane today(wait!...it was the ruler ...brought down vertically on the knuckles of course..with a swish...and then the crack....how can we forget?) .These days any perceived denigration of Kannada would result in the Kannada Rakshana Vedike descending on Nissar Ahmed like a ton of bricks.The whole point of this exercise in snobbery was that parents must be led to believe that their wards are getting the benefit of an "English " education preferably a Christian one.Naturally there were objections from various quarters to the adoption of a Christian name for an institution run by a muslim and sometime in the 90's the grandiloquent "Presidency" name was adopted.The present "Presidency" wolf is actually the old St. Pauls English School in sheep's clothing.The present Presidency school is built on a CA site.CA stands for civic amenities which means park and play grounds for THE PUBLIC.It is not meant to be sold to a private school.How did this happen?Is anyone filing an RTI to find out ?The school does NOT have a playground.There is a ground in front which is PUBLIC PROPERTY.
I'm sorry to say this but my years spent at this school were not particularly pleasant mostly because of amongst other things the memories of corporal punishment meted out by some of the staff.
The following people were exceptionally notorious:
Kamalakshi-The highly mediocre and hypocritical Kannada teacher who ruled her class with an iron hand and who I believe is still teaching there..Some of her opinions belonged firmly in the 18th century...especially those on dress code and girls and boys speaking to each other(according to her they shouldn't fraternize too much).She was also not averse to wielding the wooden ruler down on the knuckles with great force.With an inflated opinion about herself she was someone who liked to wield power .That is why she liked to humiliate some of the less bright students and call them names or say that he/she was dull/useless/stupid in front of the others in the class....
Amitha:The former Head mistress who'd go into a towering rage quite often.I remember one particular incident in 5th standard when she hit each and every student....and there were about 30 of us....I mean EACH AND EVERY one...for what she called making noise.On this particular occasion she was uncontrollable and she went after arms,legs and knuckles with 3 wooden rulers at a time!.I remember the crack of the rulers as it was brought down with great force on body parts and knuckles and I remember some of the rulers breaking into two with the force of the impact.i ESPECIALLY remember the kids crying hysterically.But did Amitha stop??....No this vicious woman just got herself a new ruler and went about her slaughter as if nothing had happened.
Chandrasekhar:The physical training instructor who had all the charms of a boot-camp drill sergeant.This man liked to holler at the top of his voice because he thought that was the best way to control children.I still remember some of the things he said when he got angry.."AYYYY!! YYYOUUU!!!!...WHY YOU TALKINGAA???...AYY YOU.!!..SHOWING TEEETH??...WHY YOU LAUGHINGGG??....."THUTH BUGGERR!!!!"......as if we students were all aspiring homosexuals.Mr Nissar Ahmed his boss obviously believed that his students should speak only in English..... never mind the final quality on display by his beloved staff.Mr Chandrashekhar sometimes reserved a special kind of punishment for repeat offenders or those he considered his favourite whipping boys.He used to grab hold of the stomach of the child and pinch and twist it left and right while pushing the child forward and backward without letting go.Even now the mind boggles at the kind of inhuman treatment meted out by this man.The first few pages of the school diary was full of high minded ideals like speaking the truth and standing up for ideals.The school logo even had the image of the pages of knowledge soaring yonder into higher planes with the caption "Gain More Knowledge,Reach Greater Heights" emblazoned prominently underneath.But these exalted homilies were reserved for students only.For the adults running the school they had different standards.I remember at that time the Mahalakshmi layout branch of the school had a few tall and hefty cricketers in their team.I was a puny chap then and I also remember being substituted by a chap from the other branch simply because we stood a better chance against the team that we were to face in an under-15 tournament.I was devastated because it happened not once but on a couple of occasions and the man responsible for that was Mr Chandrasekhar our PT instructor.So much for idealism and reaching greater heights .And the funny thing was that inspite of the cheating and the hypocrisy we still lost the matches.Did anyone say the Pakistanis started match-fixing??...Heyy....we pioneered the concept in our school.When read "The school is well known for the cricket team." displayed on a website recently,I just had to burst out laughing.
Nissar Ahmed:Probably the most violent person I have ever come across in my life.He took administering corporal punishment to a new dimension.It would well be worth noting his history.He was the Principal then and he is the Chairman now of the Abdul Hameed Trust which administers the school.Today this man has attained "respectability" because he runs various educational institutions.But these institutions are run not from a higher ethical ideal .....the "Gain More Knowledge,Reach Greater Heights" motto is a sham....a hypocrisy.....these are FOR PROFIT institutions.If they stop turning over a profit they will be closed .People must be made aware that Nissar Ahmed attempted to stop certain courses at another institution that he runs Presidency College because it wasn't attracting enough students and therefore "not-paying"?Are you aware that Bangalore University put its foot down at this?Are you aware that this made front page news in The Deccan Herald?
Here's the link...
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/100499/bu-puts-foot-down-programme.html
A friend of mine and classmate still remembers the time in the late 70's when Nissar Ahmed used to go door to door of residences in abject humility requesting parents to send their kids to his school.Once his school reached a certain critical mass the humility quickly gave way to arrogance .Corporal punishment was the favoured means of imposing "discipline".This man is a sadist.Nothing can come close to the physical violence unleashed on unsuspecting students.If you thought Chandrasekhar was bad this man took home the first prize.I still remember the finger marks he left on my class-mate's face after he'd slapped him with all his might.And for what ?...not updating the notice board.He had this particularly nasty habit of peering in through the class room window while the students were chatting.The whole class would go quiet as they realised in horror that they were being spied upon and then he'd pull out the offenders whom he felt were talking too loudly(a crime according to him) out of the class.He would twirl them around violently,whip them with the cane, hit them so hard and violently sometimes with a wooden ruler and sometimes use even his bare hands and leave the offenders on their knees in the sand under the hot sun with the hands raised in the air.I remember one youngster who had recently joined and who was looking shell-shocked by the experience.I remember the expression on that young child's face .He couldn't have been more than five.He was crying and it just broke my heart.That image has remained with me to this day.
Corporal punishment even non-physical and verbal punishment is outlawed in most schools in the West.I mention the West not because they set exalted standards but because I need to remind readers that the word "English" was incorporated into St.Pauls English School by Nissar Ahmed and the English too had banned corporal punishment while he was busy administering it .It would be worth noting that times are a changing.Corporal punishment is no longer freely tolerated.La Martiniere for Boys principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi and three teachers accused in the death of Class VIII student Rouvanjit Rawla will now be tried for abetment to suicide. Rouvanjit had hanged himself on February 12, 2010, four days after he was caned by the principal. If convicted, they could face a minimum of 10 years behind bars. In exceptional cases, those abetting the suicide of a child can also be handed the death or life sentences.On June 14 Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal termed corporal punishment as unacceptable in a civilised society and said it has been banned under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.Shantha Sinha, chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) speaking on " Right to Education and Banning Corporal Punishment Once And For All", said, "Right to Education Act (RTE) outlaws corporal punishment. Teachers have to understand that corporal punishment cannot be practised at any cost and in this direction they need to be sensitized." She called upon teachers to see children as children and not to resort to violent methods to bring in discipline. "Children should never be addressed as stupid, dull and useless. Do not insult and humiliate children," pointed Shantha Sinha. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued a new set of guidelines that ends the physical punishment of students. The first violation can result in one year in jail, or a fine or both. For subsequent violations imprisonment could be up to three years with additional fines. Heads of schools are to be held responsible to prevent corporal punishment. Teachers found guilty can also be denied salary increments and promotion. A children's rights cell where children can lodge a complaints will be set up in all schools in India.
Corporal punishment is also a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act; under Section 17(1) of RTE Act, no child should be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment.Under the provisions of the present RTE Act all the persons mentioned above- Kamalakshi,Amitha,Chandrasekhar,Nissar Ahmed would automatically go to jail.But we didn't have RTE then.
Sunirmal Chakravarti of La Martiniere is to be tried....Nissar Ahmed and others are still free.
One can expect the damage control from the management or some fawning lick-spittle sycophant usually in the form of some "Anonymous" comment extolling the virtues of the school.
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.....Please remember that parents when you send your kids to Presidency...the physical punishments may not be be so marked today but the management remains firmly in place and some parents have pointed out that the mental harrasment/verbal abuse continues under the garb of "discipline"....It is a run-of the mill school for rote learning,guild training and for preparing oneself for the rat race.
Send your kids to Presidency....only if you want them to end up as damaged goods.
I mention all this because I saw this happening all before my very own eyes day in and day out for the seven long years that I was a student there.I'm a grown man but I'm still traumatised by the experience and wish no one else has to undergo this brutal and degrading treatment ,all in the name of education.
A Former Student