Srinagar: The J&K High Court turned into an examination centre for some time when the judge, to test a teacher’s abilities, asked him to write an essay on cow and solve a 4th grader’s maths problem, adjudged him having failed, and ordered registration of an FIR against him.
The matter is related to Mohammed Imran Khan, who was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem (education guide) in a south Kashmir school.
Khan’s appointment was challenged by the petitioner, who alleged his certificates issued by Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi and Global Open University, Nagaland were not recognised.
The marksheet issued to the respondent by the Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi showed he had secured 74 per cent, 73 per cent and 66 per cent in Urdu, English and Maths respectively.
Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, who was hearing the petition yesterday, decided to test Khan’s proficiency and asked a senior counsel to give him a simple line for translation from English to Urdu and vice-versa. With the shoe on the other foot, the teacher failed to impress the judge.
He was then asked to write an essay on ‘cow’ in Urdu. Khan sought permission to write the essay outside the confines of the court room, apparently to allow better flow of ideas. The request was granted but he was declared failed again.
Khan, who claimed he had better grip over Mathematics, was then asked to solve a maths problem meant for 4th graders.
Alas! he was pronounced having failed, yet again.
An exasperated Justice Attar said, “In this situation, what would be the fate of the state has to be only visualised.
The school going children ….would pass out as blockheads.”
He also took the authorities to task for appointing such teachers, calling them “soulless” and pulling them up for overlooking and “criminally condoning Himalayan blunders”.
PTI