Monday, March 17, 2008

St. Columbas, Delhi - Absolute Power Corrupts

We assure all the parents, students, ex-students and well wishers that we are committed to securing the future of our students, at all costs.St.Columba’s Website.

Recently, St.Columba’s School was in the news for expelling 48 students from the 11th Grade for failing in one or more subjects at the annual examinations. Acting school Principal Brother Pinto in violation of the relevant Education Act and promotion rules was responsible for taking this decision. In defence, he had this harebrained excuse to offer, “It is the best thing for such a child. These students need a new environment to get away from present bad company, then there’s a chance they’ll do better in life “

St columbas saint Columbus delhi brother pinto expelled school suicide examination stress exam 48 students is a huge number – a full class section that comprises almost 20 percent of the 11th Standard. Failure of so many students only shows the failings of the school and its inability to provide even a decent minimal standard of education to the boys. About the ‘bad company’, the Principal should have first taken disciplinary action against those bad apples. Why are they being allowed to escape just cause they got a few higher marks??? St. Columba’s has Moral Science/ Value Education classes – what were the teachers doing? Why didn’t they haul up those ‘bad boys’ then and counsel them? If ‘bad company’ was really the issue, then what about the other boys who remain in the school - will they turn 'bad' and end up failing in the board year??

The rising pressure on children due to examination stress has taken its toll with around 6000 students committing suicide in 2006. This is only an official statistic, as a majority of such cases remain unreported. Boys, who face the additional pressure of having to find work and support their family, account for an overwhelming majority of such suicides. In such a scenario, it is highly irresponsible for Brother Pinto of St.Columba's School to take such a decision that totally ‘screws’ the life and future of these kids.

I am not aware what the situation is now, but when I was a student of the girls school next door, students who failed were given re-exams as many as three times to give them a chance to get through. Special tuition classes were arranged after school for weak students. Kids who still failed ended up repeating a class. No one was expelled though there were always threats from teachers and the principal.

The examinations in school were way difficult and harder to pass than the board examinations conducted by the CBSE. This was because teachers taught and framed questions from textbooks written by private authors rather than the NCERT textbooks prescribed for schools. Many questions in the final examination were complete gibberish and students scored real low. How else do I explain how I got 16 percent in my pre boards and 80 percent in the board exams? Plus, some teachers teach in a half hearted manner as they assume every student is taking tuitions.

Examination marks in school, whether 11th or Board Exams has little to do with your career and what you end up becoming in life. Most companies will never ask about your school marks in job interviews. I know many toppers who ended up doing nothing in life except dancing like a monkey (Shah Rukh Khan) and many flunkies (other ex Columbans) who are today Software Engineers. So boys, if you are reading this, please don’t lose hope!!! Best of Luck for a secure future!!

13 comments:

  1. So sad and I hate that pressure of "achieving" we put thru' the kids in India. I try and avoid that with my my kids, getting B grade is quite okay.
    In fact, colleges here aren't enthusiastic about kids who only have "A's academically, they see their overall progress like social activities, participation, volunteering etc more than 99% in Biology!!
    Hopefully, that will change in future in India and kids will "LIVE" to enjoy life!
    See in May darling, take care of yourself and enjoy there!:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think the school expelled those students only to maintain the 'excellent results' that can then be printed in the admission prospectus for the subsequent year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. this is sad! and i agree with sidhusaheb.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Students have to face a lot of pressure nowadays.
    In my college recently a 2nd yr student committed suicide a's he was rebuked by th principal for not standing first in the university as expected.He could'nt bear the embarassment and took the wrong step. This called for a student protest and strike to remove the principal.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy hOLI &Happy easter to you and family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think you are raising some very pertinent issues here. It is a real shame that people are judged based on their academic abilities. But how do you propose to find a balance between working hard and not working at all in a world marked by winners and losers and all that in the name of studies?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow,48 students failed by st.columbas in class 11!Was the principal, class teachers sleeping the whole year through? Its a slap in the face on the quality of education being imparted by the school, the incompetency of the class teachers in particular. Have the teachers no responsibility nor role to play in the success/failure rate in the school?Parents are informed out of the blue, one fine day, to take their disgraced failure kids away! What about the teachers, the principal and the whole Christian management of this school(who has conveniently been turning a blind eye to what is happening at saint columbas,delhi)who have failed the expectations, trust and hope of gullible parents having high expectations from this once renowned institution?48 students failed and principal not shifted? Which teacher/s were thrown out? Will these mediocre teachers with limited teaching skills continue in this fashion year after year ruining careers? A PROPER INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT IS GOING ON IS URGENTLY REQD.

    ReplyDelete
  8. St columbas school in delhi
    "sucks"(sorry for using this word but its true),it is the world's worst school and everyone agrees to this.the teachers are racists and cruel to students,they dont teach anything and take home free salaries which they surely dont deserve..Please shut this school ASAP in favour of the future of India.The school has a sack full of skeletons in its cupboards,which it does not want to display... !!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh! you cyberkitty or whoever you are u say that 11 papers dont matter? how could.....thats why u got 16% and ur school didnt excpel u just coz they didnot had any other student....ur school should close and ur schools highest getter may be 20%i noe how good st columbas is go to hell...........

    ReplyDelete
  10. every word in the previous post about the racist teachers n jazz is true, i am an alumnus of that, school and a proud one at that, but i agree you have no idea what it feels like to say n a public forum that your alma mater should be shut down in interest of the country's future. I have suffered in that school, bt i enjoyed it too, i am ashamed to admit it but i was among the bullies that are being blamed for the school's current situation. but i believe that we are not bullies by birth, the school made us into them we felt cornered, left with only one course of action. as the status quo is today there is only one way to survive in Columba's, become a bully or be scarred and tormented for the rest of your life, people say there is a need for rule of law in our country but why not begin with our schools, there is no rule of law in the school quite simply because the teachers dont give a damn what happens, they assume that these children are the scum of the earth use foul language and cast aspersions on the childs abilities in the future in any field, they pick a few students generally with powerful parents harp and fawn on them cajole them while giving the rest quite literally the finger. shut the school while its ahead dont base your decisions in sunk cost, the name sin dirt already but hey the less the better right? i am only a student if any of yiou are parents of students of columbas take my advice as a columban....withdraw them its in their interest trust me you will not regret it, and as for the bugger immed beofre me take my word cjm is a great school i have no idea about its workings but our opinion of it and columba's dsplays a clear lack of knowledge understanding and coherence and presence of stupidity and plain bigotry and columbas chauvinism.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, My Son has got admission in Columba's school and i want to know if i shud put him in the school or not. He is a bright student and that is the reason i m worried about him, after reading this blog and surffing net i found out tht school does not have the actual charm as it use to have before. Depending on his admission to this school depends lot of my decisions. I m from mumbai and i have to shift to Delhi only b'coz of this. Please comment and let me know.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You buggers(those who are speaking against st. Columba's)...... Do you even know what you're sayin!!! You're abusing " one of the most premier institutes of education in India" (Wikipedia)! You know you suckers don't even deserve to talk about st columba's! This bitch cyberkitty is bitching about one of the best schools in India !
    Y'all speaking against St. Columba's are all WANGKERS!
    Retards!
    You suckers prefer education in commercialized schools like DPS AND MODERN!
    well y'all are suckers and so are your preferred schools!
    Any wise man would go for Columba's!

    Hit the road and boil your freaking head!

    You all are WANGKERS!


    ST COLUMBA's is the best

    ReplyDelete

We'd love to hear from you. Please post a comment below to let us know what you think!