Fair Play

The only way to ensure a fair opportunity for all is that everyone plays by the same rules. As the accreditation process of our college draws near, the contradictions are becoming clearer. National policy (and international standards) suggest that certain standards should apply to everyone. But tradition is a powerful force, and it does not agree.

During today’s invigilation of a final year exam, seven students (whom I have taught) asked me to bend the rules for them- one of them even asked to use her mobile phone in session. All this after the exam rules had been written on the whiteboard and repeated verbally at the beginning of the session. (The same rules that have been in place throughout their degree programme.) Interestingly, none of these requests were directed at my co-invigilator, who does not know these students. Knowing people is, after all, the major currency in this culture. At one point, their teacher came in and initiated discussion, which naturally led to side-talk. Nipping this in the bud, I was rewarded with the dirtiest of looks from students, and the teacher’s reprimand that this was the best group he had ever taught (suggesting I had no right to chastise them). When the allotted time was over, my colleague and I announced that students were to put pens down. Over half of them did not stop writing after our second instruction, and we had to physically take the papers from them, once again accompanied by dirty looks and tongue-clucking. “Not fair.”

Ah, but the tale does not end there. As it turned out, the teacher was with another group, and allowed “flexibility” for the hand-in… for fifteen more minutes.

Now the students are on the case of the teachers who followed the rules to ensure fair play, singing the praises of their teacher who bent the rules to the authorities- who are sympathetic. Needless to spell out whose actions they consider fair. Allegiance comes before standards in this part of the world. And I have to question whether it is to my credit- whatever the financial or professional benefit- to work in a system where the unfair is deemed fair, while following the standards of fair play is deemed high treason.

(Re-reading what I have written this seems like a paranoid nightmare, and I can well understand that it may be interpreted as such. Surely no establishment would tolerate such absurdity? Anyone tempted to test the reality of these statements is welcome to apply for a job here: of the fifteen people recruited at the beginning of this academic year, only ONE is re-signing his contract. The others have chosen to wake up. I have to wonder if I should do the same.)