An old classmate came visiting the other day. His daughter was studying in final year, which was probably the cause of the visit. After an initial patter, he came to the point.
"Students are not taught these days the way we were taught, huh?" he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Lectures are not taken at all" he said.
"Did your daughter tell you so?" I asked.
"Yes."
"But we are very particular about teaching students" I said. "If a lecture is missed due to any reason, we reschedule it."
"I did not mean your department. Teaching in your department is meticulous. In XXXXXXX department, not a single lecture has been taken in last one year."
I thought about it for a while.
"Is it same in the other departments?"
"Most of them."
"Why do you not tell the Boss? I am sure he will want to improve things."
"What? Then the concerned departments will victimize my daughter."
"But the head of XXXXXXX department gives adequate attendance certificate to all students. I know, because eligibility for appearing for exams is jointly checked by all departments."
"Zero out of zero is 100%" he said. That might be inaccurate mathematically, but was logical.
"And all teachers keep complaining that students do not attend their lectures" I said.
"That is true for many students, especially when they have exams of other subjects" he said.
Then it dawned on me. It was a win-win situation. The teachers got to not teach, and the students got to stay away from lecture halls and still got required attendance certificate.
"Do you expect me to tell the Boss about this?" I asked.
"Umm..." he said, "that would be nice."
And make enemies of all those teachers? I suddenly recalled a few faculty who came to me time and again and indirectly urged me to fight their battles for them. 'Fight your own battle' I wanted to say, but decided not to.
"I will have to tell him your name" I said.
He thought about it a bit.
"I think my daughter will self study" he said. "Let us not bother your Boss with such trivial things."
"Students are not taught these days the way we were taught, huh?" he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Lectures are not taken at all" he said.
"Did your daughter tell you so?" I asked.
"Yes."
"But we are very particular about teaching students" I said. "If a lecture is missed due to any reason, we reschedule it."
"I did not mean your department. Teaching in your department is meticulous. In XXXXXXX department, not a single lecture has been taken in last one year."
I thought about it for a while.
"Is it same in the other departments?"
"Most of them."
"Why do you not tell the Boss? I am sure he will want to improve things."
"What? Then the concerned departments will victimize my daughter."
"But the head of XXXXXXX department gives adequate attendance certificate to all students. I know, because eligibility for appearing for exams is jointly checked by all departments."
"Zero out of zero is 100%" he said. That might be inaccurate mathematically, but was logical.
"And all teachers keep complaining that students do not attend their lectures" I said.
"That is true for many students, especially when they have exams of other subjects" he said.
Then it dawned on me. It was a win-win situation. The teachers got to not teach, and the students got to stay away from lecture halls and still got required attendance certificate.
"Do you expect me to tell the Boss about this?" I asked.
"Umm..." he said, "that would be nice."
And make enemies of all those teachers? I suddenly recalled a few faculty who came to me time and again and indirectly urged me to fight their battles for them. 'Fight your own battle' I wanted to say, but decided not to.
"I will have to tell him your name" I said.
He thought about it a bit.
"I think my daughter will self study" he said. "Let us not bother your Boss with such trivial things."
