Daily Times

“Mum, I have topped in my class,” Gurman excitedly shared the good news with her mother. Her delighted mother hugged Gurman for her success and said, “I am so happy to hear this but please maintain this now.”

“No one is born in the world to take my place, mom. I am the only one and the best,” Gurman said proudly.

“Life is full of surprises, my daughter,” her mother replied.

However, that was the culmination of her previous class. After that, a new teacher came in her class named Alia. Her style of teaching was unalike other teachers in the school. She used to revise the taught things through students on weekly basis and give surprise tests.

After the first week had finished, Alia asked a question from Gurman about a structure she had taught them the previous week, but Gurman failed to give the accurate answer. She continuously asked various questions to all, but could not get any satisfactory answer from them, except from Sana who answered all the questions correctly. Gurman felt a pang of jealousy.

Even the days that followed, Alia kept taking surprise oral tests and Gurman found it impossible to answer questions correctly. One day, Alia asked Gurman, “How is it possible Gurman that you were a position holder in the previous grade but you are unable to answer these simple questions? And Sana is more knowledgeable than you, even then he remains unable to achieve a good position.”

“Ma’am, I know I am not a position holder maybe because I don’t rely on rote learning. I study for the sake of getting knowledge ma’am, not position,” Sana answered before Gurman could.

Alia raised her eyebrows on this, to which Gurman replied, “She is right, ma’am. I’ve always run behind positions. I wanted my name to be highlighted with paper marks. I thought getting position is everything one wants to pursue for a better career in future, but now I realise that a good career is based upon a good background in practical education, not the numbers in paper.”

Alia felt proud to have such creative students. She never thought students of Grade 4 would have such powerful and fruitful thoughts to distinguish between good and bad.

After the class ended, Gurman went to Sana and thanked her for making her realise that getting position was not everything one wanted in real sense but getting the things which would automatically build up their position when they grow big.

After these, Gurman worked harder, but this time not for getting a position, but for understanding the concepts taught in class. Soon after, she recovered and became one of the high achievers in all senses.

So, I want to suggest my readers not to study for just getting marks rather be more concerned about the knowledge which remains with us for our entire lives.

Published in Daily Times, March 6^th 2019.