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KRISHNA Tarangam

A Political and Sciences Website

Heading for systemic failure

Education institutes ‘wearing’ systems that don’t fit them!
 
By Vivek Sharma

Copying things and systems is not just China’s monopoly, it has become Indians’ bad habit too. This blind copying of systems without rushing them through institute-specific work culture and modifying them accordingly, is not only hilarious but also a blow to work efficiency in various organisations. Forgive me for this crude example. But, how would a monkey practically behave when it copies man and wears pants, shirts and a hat? A monkey’s natural work environment is hopping around on trees, rooftops and in jungles for food and shelter. But, with pants, shirts and hats on, can a monkey do its hopping job naturally? Ha-ha-ha. At the end of the day this manified monkey will either be isolated within its community, or starve itself to death or, if wisdom prevailed, would tear out of man’s outfit and get going its natural way!
That is happening with most of the institutions in India, which are working with copied systems. This is hilarious. I have had the opportunity to witness work culture in some foreign and national corporates where I found this hilarious cocktail of blindly copying the western work culture.  I could easily see the difference how an Indian firm is struggling to live up to the copied system as a standard. In most of the cases, people devised their own systems to use foreign systems of work management and somehow carried home without much burden . 
 
Media experience
 
I have worked with three leading media groups since their pen-paper-to-typewriter-to-teleprinter-to-computer days. It was ok till we reached the computer stage. But, later we began to borrow work systems from New York Times, London Times, Guardian and the likes.  Traditionally, we had six scheduled news meetings. Morning, breakfast, noon, evening, late evening and night. The morning meetings majorly gave the rough direction of news development, by noon the news began to concretise, from evening to late evening meetings, the news development finalised, leaving a room for late development for the night meetings. This was quite a friendly system as it addressed the basic news development in India, where most of the developments take place post lunch.

 
In Delhi, I was on the first team to launch an online newspaper. The meeting schedules got a few more additions there—designers’ meeting, ad space meeting, video clip meet. But, it was ok as it addressed the demands of the growing work culture.
Later, I got five-minute-quick-check meets in between too. This was a burden. Because, it ate into our working time and we could invest less time in creative displays, editing, news sifting and getting quality output. Now I was pissed off  with it. I questioned why this. A colleague informed me that this was what was followed by the New York Times. Later, I came to know that this was a special system adopted by the US newspapers to get war zone updates from Iraq, Vietnam and some other strife-torn areas. After the crises got over, these newspaper got rid of these quick-check meets and resumed their earlier schedules. But, here in India, we kept religiously following it—I think they are still following it. The last I attended was a round-table standup quicker every five minutes in Delhi. Ha-ha-ha, it is hilarious as you don’t require such emergency quickers anymore. You are not in a war zone neither are you the Army on execution mode. But, it is a fact that meetings are an integral part of media organisations where news development and management are a different game all together.
Such meetings are completely unwarranted and are not suited for set-scheduled units and organisations, like schools, colleges, production units, marketing firms and the rest. But, if they copy media systems, they are going to fall flat like the monkey I told you the story about.
 
 
More hilarious examples
 
Now I find that even some educational institutions are hilariously following the meeting culture. Imagine a school calling meetings of teachers at 10 pm! Why? What is so emergent? Nothing. But, they have to do it because holding meetings sounds upmarket to them. For them it is a strategic move to convince the parents, teachers and the rest that their institution is of international standard. This is called monkey copying man. Education institutions have everything set and standardised. They have a syllabus to follow. In such a case, holding off-time meetings is not only anti-managerial but also a brutal attack on staff members’ family time. I have also observed that some private schools and colleges are enforcing their own rules which are sometimes at variance with the Constitutional provisions. The ministry of education is flooded with complaints against such setups. 
My source in Delhi says that the government is formulating a new education policy in which all private and govt schools shall follow one standardised syllabus and fee structure. I cannot reveal the details due to certain commitments. But, I can assure you that the new education policy shall standardise everything for education institutes keeping in mind what works in the Indian education environment. All that has been copied and adopted from foreign systems shall either be annulled or drastically modified to fit Indianness.
 
Krishna’s advice
 
In the discourses 3 and 18, Krishna clearly mentions for every body, institute or organisation to develop and respect systems according to their natural work  direction and not borrow them from others as they look impressive—श्रेयानस्वधर्मो विगुणपरधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।।
The work system that suits a media group may look impressive but it may not suit an education institution! A Tata firm’s work culture may not suit a media organisation either. But, copying systems from others just because they look impressive is a dangerous proposition, says Krishna—परधर्मो भयावहः।। Every system has its own uniqueness. Every body has its unique work demands. So, follow systems that are natural to you—सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि  त्यजेत्। What is natural system for you shall have no negative outcome—स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।
So, let’s wear the cloth that fit us!
 
 

 

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