Such an irony isn’t that! Schools today constitute the biggest reason for stress among children and when the term school is mentioned you would think of everything else but leisure. Probing further, the meaning of education is ‘to lead forth’ in Latin. When I look at teenagers today I often wonder as to where have we led them. I firmly believe that when children are born they are angels in the truest sense, we - parents, teachers, society, media are responsible for ‘leading them’ to becoming the ‘devils’. On a serious note let us accept it that the way in which we are bringing up our children is not the most desirable way. ‘To lead forth’ also brings to my mind an important aspect of children’s upbringing which has to be a combined effort of the home and school.

In the past issue MENTOR has been delving deep into some of the oldest institutions of our country and trying to bring their wisdom to the forefront. In our quest for understanding and identifying old institutions we have interacted with several legendary schools and realised the amazing depth and width of Indian education. One thing comes out clear that very few schools documented their tradition and culture. It is a pity that schools don’t spend quality time on documenting their efforts and learning and putting them down on paper. Great institutions are built on strong values and foundation that do not change with every new principal or chairman that leads them. Documentation makes the foundation firm.

If I take a cue from my own experience, I run 3 companies and each of my companies has a Company Policy which very clearly enlists

   •     Values and vision of the company
   •     Scope of work
   •     General standards of conduct
   •     Corporate identity
   •     Company structure
   •     Confidential information
   •     HR policies - recruitment, staffing, training.
   •     Disciplinary actions and much more

If schools can apply this and come up with their own School Policy Books – for teachers, students, parents and management; this would go a long way in bringing about consistency in the way schools function inspite of changes in the teams.

December 10th happens to be Human Rights Day and I thought I will enlighten you about Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states “Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays”. Now if you have to ‘lead by example’ I suggest you take a break in December. Take a holiday as it is your right. Moreover, this will bring you face to face with a lot more realities you need to be ready for!

Wishing you all the luck as you wind up 2009 and get ready to welcome 2010!