We Can Make a Difference

Marcel Ekka, an experienced educationalist who worked in government schools and held high posts in the educational sector, and a member of the parish next to CRI House, New Delhi, shares some of his experiences and insights with us. Sr Celine Vas, our Associate Editor, interviewed him for MAGNET.

Magnet:  I am told that you are an excellent educationist and an able administrator. How did you get into this line?

Mr Marcel:  I began my teaching career in St Margret Senior Secondary School, a private school run by a Punjabi Sardar. My head and hands were full and busy with the school work. After passing TGT (Delhi government examinations), when  I was appointed as a teacher in a high school, I cried. There was no work at all! No one was interested in teaching. I was also not allowed to work. I complained to the Principal. He gave me some administration work.  I felt I was dragging along rather than live my life.

With my discontent at teaching, I also wrote an examination for Central School organisation. The results appeared in 1992. Thousands of teachers appeared for the interview for a principal’s post. The interviews alone took more than a month.  When the final results were declared, fifty of us were chosen. Out of the reserved category, fifteen posts were included. My name appeared on top of the list. I grabbed the opportunity and was posted in the government senior secondary school at Bhagalpur. It had two shifts—the morning shift for the girl students and the afternoon one  for the boys. The boys alone numbered 3000.

Magnet:  That is a big number. How did you manage the school?

Mr Marcel:   As a principal, I insisted on the presence of the teachers from 8 am until 6 pm. For some time the teachers tolerated my discipline, but a few among them were angry. One evening, four drunken male teachers entered my office. One of them said, “Hereafter we will come late in the morning and go early in the evening.” I replied, “Yes.” Next they said, “We will not teach.” I said, “Yes.”. After that they did not know how to fight with me. So, they asked me, “Join us for  a party.” I agreed. They asked me to have some alcoholic drinks with them.  I told them, “I don’t take hot drinks.” So they got some soft drinks for me. They had hot drinks, and then left my office.

Magnet:  It must have been a frustrating situation for you.. How did you solve it?

Mr Marcel:  I was tense.  Next day I went to the Director of education and explained the situation. Since the locality had a bad reputation, the education office sent an order transferring the four teachers. On getting the order, one of the four died of shock the next day. The other three left the school.

Magnet:  What happened next?

Mr Marcel:  Somehow the school was getting a good name and teachers were committed to their teaching.

I remember an interesting case. There was a boy in the school called Bhagat (name changed). He was in the 6^th class and had failed four times. Everyone was scared of him. He was well-built and used to beat up other boys and extract money from them.

One day, some teachers brought Bhagat to my office. I recovered thirteen knives from him! I beat him. He said sorry and went home. I knew for sure that his father would come to the school with some goons. So, after class, I went to his house with some teachers. His father was very happy to meet me. I called Bhagat, and narrated the whole incident to his father, and also told him that I had beat him. On hearing this, Bhagat’s older brother came in, and gave him a thorough thrashing. After this, Bhagat behaved well in school.

He had his own gang through whom he controlled a piece of land adjacent to the school. He had let some three hundred slum families live there, and he collected money from them. I wanted that land for the school. I asked Bhagat to help me to get it, he replied, “Sir, I will do it for you, but you also have to do me a favour.” I asked him what the favour was. What he asked for was a pass certificate in the eighth standard.  I took me three years to help him move from the 6^th to the 8^th class. As soon as he got his certificate, he got the land vacated. I met him again a few years ago. He is a policeman now.

Magnet:  Any insight you like to share with Catholic principals and managers?

Mr Marcel: While I was the Principal at Malavia Nagar Senior Secondary School, I had additional charges as District Educational Officer. I had to supervise three district zones. I was one of the five additional directors of the Delhi Selection Subordinate Board.

As an additional Director I have visited many schools and met many principals. One thing I would like to tell priests and religious who are principals is this: Some of the priests and religious think they are great and doing a wonderful job. This is not always the case. I have met several teachers in their schools who have better expertise in teaching as well as better administrative skills. Often these principals do not deserve to be in such a position, and yet they display an air of authority.  I would like to add that priests and nuns need to be just to others.

I was also honoured with the director’s position at State Council of Educational Research Training (SCERT), which has the following schools under it:

I am retired now, but my previous record has kept me close to Mr Manish Sisodia, the education minister of Delhi Government. Mr Sisodia has this vision: To make the students morally, socially and academically responsible citizens of the society. The means taken for this are: (1) The Happiness curriculum introduced into every school in 2018; (2) A vocational Certificate: When a student completes the 12^th standard, he /she not only has a pass certificate, but also a vocational course certificate.

Magnet:  Mr Marcel, could tell us a little about the happiness curriculum?

Mr Marcel: Yes. We find that many children are unhappy in school. Most of them don’t like writing and reading. They fail. They love to eat instant food. A few of them are very problematic. At home parents find it hard to control the students. Teachers are also in the same situation, and they are sacred to correct the students. In this situation, we ask the teachers to be kind and smiling when a child enters the class room. They are welcomed lovingly to the school. They are not burdened with books and home work. Infrastructure is created even to keep their books in the schools.

Here is a case. Ram (name changed) was a seven-year-old primary school student from a well-to-do family. He was very grumpy, angry, selfish and not relating to his companions. The teachers showed him love and acceptance, and taught him gradually to be concerned about others. Ram’s parents soon noticed the behavioural change in the boy. On reaching home, he started asking his mother, “Mummy, how are you? Did you have your meal?” This was quite different from his earlier behaviour. Most of the students showed an improvement in their behaviour, and with this, the strength of the school increased too. For, a happy child learns better and faster.

Magnet: The media seldom highlights the contribution of the Delhi government to education. Can you throw some light on this point?

Mr Marcel: The day after the CBSE announced the results of Class 12 in which 94.24 percent students of Delhi’s government schools passed the exams, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said the results were the best in the past 21 years. Addressing the media on 3 May, he said that 203 Delhi government schools had 100 percent pass percentage. This is a huge achievement as most of the children coming to government schools were the first generation learners. The results of class 12 prove the hard work put in by Mr Sisodia and Kejriwal’s government.

Magnet:  What is the most touching experience in your life as a teacher?

Mr Marcel:  What touched me most was this experience.

I found some teachers getting into depression when they were transferred or given subjects not of their taste. When I was additional director of education,  I would spend time in counselling. I did the same for the parents of the students. I remember a parent losing his young son due to illness.  He was completely crushed when he came to tell me about his son’s death. I listened and listened for a long time. He was grateful but he had much more grief to pour out. So I called him home. He is my regular visitor and has become a family friend. We chat a lot and he is a happy man now. I appreciate my wife for treating anyone who visits my home as our family friend.

Sr Celine Vas

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