Star Diary

Photo: Zahedul I Khan

Teacher, We Need You

My friend used to work as a teacher at a school in Dhaka. However, recently he left his job and took a job at a bank. When I asked him the reason behind the decision, he simply replied that being a teacher was just not worth it. Public schools these days are wrought with the emerging problems of a lack of discipline in the classrooms, he said. Children suffer from a lack of self respect where teachers are no longer viewed with respect. The usual scenario in a public school these days is one of apathy and an indifference to the importance of being educated. This indifference trickles down even to the teachers being viewed as an individual who does not need to be given respect. The problem is further catalysed by the fact that most public institutions are operated as business, thus, discipline takes a backseat and financial gains are given the most importance. Parents are also oblivious of the need to discipline negative attitudes in their growing children. It's little wonder that young, dedicated people soon get disillusioned by the profession of teaching, preferring to take up something more lucrative and rewarding.
Azmi Syed
Mohammadpur
Dhaka

We Are Simply Helpless

While shopping in Sector 3, Uttara, I noticed a middle-aged woman walking down the road. A man was walking from the other side of the road. At the beginning he appeared quite normal but then I saw that out of the blue the man rushed towards the woman, and hit her hard, before fleeing. The woman screamed in pain, and asked the people around her to help catch him. However, nothing like that happened. They just kept on staring at her plight instead of helping her in any way possible. Eventually, I learnt that the man hit the woman for no apparent reason. He didn't even know her! Onlookers claimed that he was mad. And yet no one bothered to help the victim. She was shell-shocked at the assault. This whole scenario shows how unsafe and insecure we truly are. If people are not ready to help a person in a situation like this, they won't even lift a finger in lending a hand in more serious situations. How can we let these things slide by us?
Rubaina
Scholastica
Dhaka