Scenario of Quantity education
- A Short Story -

Herojit Philem *

The hour hand was resting between nine and ten, and the minute hand strikes at 6. "It is 9:30 am," Henry shouted loud enough from inside his room so that his mother, who was busy in preparing breakfast, would hear.

"Mom, I'm getting late for college," he continued and was hastily dressing to go off to college.

"College is a place where students loot their mental ability by mingling with some other students of negative genre. As you have the knowledge that education after matriculation, is diversified into different streams and students select their subject choice. Nevertheless, some of them never concentrate in their studies despite choosing their favourite subject. They attend college with mobile phones and it is unpredictable whether a notebook or a text book is there in their bags.

These are students spoiling the name of the institution also other pupils. There is no college good and no college bad, everything lies within an individual student. But environment really matters, if it is worse than students, no positive result would be yield for being a good student. The good student will slowly adhere with the environment ignoring their inner potential. If you want to be good and become better in such an environment you must possess strong attitude," was a piece of advice Henry's mother had been giving him since the first day of the college and today her expression vividly speaks the same to Henry's inner ear.

After a long staring at Henry's standing in front of the dressing table, she cried out- "ENOUGH, I have been watching you from the moment I came out of the kitchen. Are you going college to show off your hair style? Listen, education doesn't require fashion-minded students. Even if you go stylishly, you will learn the same lesson as other students would."

"Mom... I'm grown up, no more I shall behave like the high schools," he said turning around in front of the mirror.

"What? You haven't learnt to wash your face clean, yet, you think you are MATURE," she angrily yelled at her son.

We remain as a child no matter how grown up we are, in parents' eye, mothers' in particular. "I know how much my mother loves me, though she kept on scolding me. It's because of her chides, I'm standing with my handsome face in front of the mirror today," were some words playing near Henry's ear.

"It is getting late, I shall ready to off to college," Henry said after little introspection.

"Are you not having your breakfast?" Henry's mother questioned as she trod away from Henry's sight.

"I don't have appetite," Henry answered, actually, he was yearning to get some bucks from his mother, "Mom..... I'm going," he added.

"Wait a minute; take this hundred rupees to have something in the college canteen," said Henry's mother as she came out from inside the chamber when Henry was about to leave the mirror without his image.

Walking down the road he saw some students, from other colleges, standing at bus station. Some of them were busy talking while other stuck on their mobile phones. As he passed them, their voices reached his ear, they were talking about their girlfriends and boyfriends, and those who were stuck on mobile phones are drowning in the river of their own romance.

Their voices being heard and behaviour being seen, he interrogated himself many questions – "Does love affair really matter for a college student? Is this the scenario of education seen in every nook and cranny of the world? Everything has its own time but why are they chewing tobacco when they are in college uniform? Why are they not talking about their education, careers or examination?"

Interrogating question after questions he reached the college campus and there he saw some boys standing near the gate. The very next second he heard them howling as some girls ahead of him passed them. One of the boys asked if any of the girls had brought gulkha. Henry thought that the boy will be gone in the hands of those innocent girls, but it was wrong! One among the bevy of girls took out something, which have been wrapped with paper, from her bag and gave it to the boy. He received it happily saying, "I owe you another day with the same." Henry walked hanging his head, leaving all of them behind to reach his classroom where he found many of his friends talking about their facebook status, which were mere fun and worthless topics, inspiring no one. They didn't notice him coming as they were busy talking about social networking, which they don't really know what it is.

Henry sat recollecting some sweet memories of years past. Those days, he didn't even waste a minute but today's morning hours have just wasted remembering those zeal filled days. What would he do as the environment forbids him to study? If he were to read, no doubts his mates will be laughing at him. Couple of minute later he saw students standing to greet the entering teacher.

The teacher as usual gave couple of warnings to the students including to study seriously as exams were coming etc. who were the students listening, was the question that arose in him as no student follows the oralized rules and students were fond of saying, "Live in present," but they have forgotten that the coming future will be present tomorrow and their present is to study.

As the lecture ended, he was compelled to believe that students from now will be serious in their studies. But, this too, was proved wrong. Mischief of students made teachers reluctant to do their duty. Days ended without a word learnt and a question asked.

Next day, waking up early in the morning he did nothing sitting in front of an opened book. He turned the pages remembering the scenario of the class and regretted for the time wasted, despite knowing examination is standing at the threshold. He was aware of the coming examination in spite of that he wasted his dear morning hours suffering remorse.

We can't deny any known fact; nevertheless, students in his college including Henry himself ignored the coming of very important, inevitable thing what people called examination.

As if copying is educational rights, all waited the coming of examination to defeat it by mere unfair means. The only thing, which Henry kept on saying was, "I'm a student only for name and thus I'll appear the coming examination as it is a part of my life. No matter if I don't go through. And it's of no use to go for higher studies as there are many Bachelors who remain jobless." He related those unemployed youths without knowing much about their educational qualities. The truth was, like Henry many of them had quantity education.

"I never thought examination would be coming so early like this," were the only words running in Henry's mind and as examination ended, the only statement he stated was, "Let God decides my result."

Yes, results were out, with God's grace he passed the examination with good grade. The thing making him suffer was the doubt if he can't reach his goal and become a successful person.