It may be subtle or blunt, but for the students who witness it, there’s nothing remotely pleasing about it. It’s easy to remember that time the teacher passed you over for a role in the school play for the person who was more outgoing. Perhaps you’re still smarting at the injustice, or maybe it’s no more than a tasteless memory.[break]
For Nistha Tripathi, it’s frustrating to miss out on opportunities just because of her weakness in mathematics. The 9th grader at St Mary’s High School says, “I’m weak in Maths but I do well in all the other subjects at school. Yet I miss out on opportunities like emceeing during a school event. It ultimately goes to students who are very good in their studies.
“Also, the fact that there’s no transparency when there’s a prospect to represent your school for essay competitions or such events. It’s irksome. Most students don’t even find out about it until someone’s already been chosen, and normally the chosen ones are either head girls or class representatives. I believe all students should get equal opportunities to audition or try out for the various extracurricular activities they want to be involved in,” she adds.
Ethang Nembang, 16, says, “If any fight broke out in school, my name would be dragged in. That was surprising because at that exact time I would be nowhere near the place.” The class 9 student says that it probably happened due to the fact that teachers think he’s mischievous. “That doesn’t mean that I’m always fighting or creating trouble. When such things happen, the best you can do is explain to the teacher that you’re not involved. They won’t always believe you, however,” he says.
Not all students have had to face prejudices. Binita Shrestha, 17, is a grade 11 student at Modern College. So far, she’s not undergone any unpleasant memories of partiality and bias. “I think it’s because we have good relations with our teachers,” she says. However, she states that were she to face any kind of discrimination, she wouldn’t let it rest. She says, “In such situations, I would let my parents know about it so that they can talk it over with the school authorities.”
Niraj Poudel, 17, from DAV School, remembers small instances of being unfairly treated in his school years. Yet, what could he have done, he shrugs. He’s happy that since he started his 11th grade, he’s not had to go through any partiality. The reason behind this, he surmises, could be because of the short duration he has to spend in class. “Unlike in schools where we have to spend almost the whole day around our friends and teachers, we have only a few hours to spend with our teachers in college. I think this leads to less interaction and less misunderstandings,” he says.
So is being on good terms with one’s teachers the definitive point of not facing bias?
A teacher should realize that if he/she’s showing favoritism or excluding certain students due to some ‘feeling,’ then something wrong is being done. Whether the cases are small, like pointing to a talkative student every time there’s noise in the classroom, or bigger instances where only a certain student is always given grace marks when there are clearly a few more of them in need.
Having a discussion with the teacher may not always work out, but it’s certainly worth a try. The student can ask what he’s done wrong and then explain his point of view to the teacher. Both parties should keep an open mind and be respectful of each other.
That’s also the advice that Smriti Lama has for her students. Smriti is currently teaching Science at Malpi International School and says that though she’s never heard or seen any cases of prejudice against students at Malpi, she has heard of various instances of bias against students in the other schools she has worked at.
“Students would often share their confusion with me when they encountered such problems. I’ve heard of partiality when a certain student is related to a teacher, also cases of bias based on caste and ethnicity,” she says. At Malpi, she explains, they offer students a holistic education and a homely environment where the relationship between teachers and students are warm.
An educator should be taking the responsibility given to him seriously. It should be clear that prejudice has no place in an educational institution, and that a teacher has no right to look at a student differently just because of certain qualities. The role of a teacher is to guide his students to positive things, not leave them with bitter memories.
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