[Faith-talk] The crisis of education in Egypt, my personal experience.

[Mostafa]

Dear all, peace be with you.

Today I would like to spend sometime telling you about my personal experience in dealing with the educational arena in Egypt.

Unfortunately, it is not so pleasant.

Some of you may know that I used to work at a school, teaching a blind girl elementary Braille along with cognitive principles.

                 Well, the bad news is I am no longer working at the school.

It is what I have seen as correct, and Allah knows better.

I am proud of what I did yesterday, and I do not regret what I have done.

Here is my story.

The girl I was responsible for is just a blind girl.

She is four years old, and as I just said; she is merely blind.

When I entered the classroom for the first time, I found her dragged with other children.

These children are mentally disabled, one of them is autistic, another one is marked with mongolianism along with other severe mental disabilities.

Well, the girl was dragged with these severe mental disabilities anyway.

Strangely though, they expected her to be attentive at this distressful situation.

Since my first day at that particular classroom,  I observed that the girl was radically being  distracted due to the constant noise she is surrounded by.

She always asked me with fear; what is that noise? Where are you?

     I always tried to explain to her, that it is just your classmates are making some dissonance.

I went to the school administration and I plainly conveyed my concerns to them.

They  skipped my request to transfer the girl to another classroom, I requested to separate her from these misbehaving children, I made my request clear several times.

  They never listened, and the situation was worsening on a daily basis.

The girl could not attain any significant information, no matter how many time I repeat the English Braille alphabets to her.

If we practice the letters B and C, for instance, she forgets them next day, I have to always repeat again, and she never improves due to the constant interruption and disturbance at the classroom.

One of the  preposterous regulations of the school, that it is strictly prohibited for us to contact the parents.

I skeptically complied to the school regulations and I never called the mother, but I asked the school administration several times to arrange an urgent meeting with their representative, the mother and I, so we can have a trilateral meeting to discuss the ideal alternative for the little kid, but they never did.

Last Sunday, the mother called me late at night, and she sounded quite frustrated.

My daughter misdemeans, she lies on the floor whilst making so strange resounds, I am so afraid about her, she said.

Thereupon, I frankly notified the mother about the odd environment of the classroom which her daughter is dragged in, and I asked her to desperately  call the school tomorrow.

To come to the conclusion, I basicly transmitted the description of the telephone conversation I had with the mother to the school administration, including my explicit criticism to the classroom environment.

   In spite of the fact that I straightly broke the strict rules, but I believe that it was irrational to wait for no longer after I heard the mother extremely disappointed, quite worried about her little kid.

It was going to be insane and insensate   of me to just dismiss what I heard from the mother.

The school principal decided to fire me, because I am a troublemaker from her perspective.

In spite of the signs that the girl virtually entered into a phase of psychological trauma, she still thinks I am inadequate and even ignorant, as she called me in my last meeting with her.

On the basis of professionalism fundamentals, that is a profanity to verbally insult your employee, even if he or she committed mistakes at work.

You can rather condemn his mistake respectfully.

You could have rectified the situation respectfully, whilst telling your employee about what was incorrect with what he has done, but you never call him ignorant.

That is just savage and completely unprofessional.

  She could have just said I am novice to the field, whilst clarifying her point of why she insists to drag the blind girl at the class which is filled with severe mental disabilities.

Well ultimately, I was fired because I declined to participate into that wicked commercialism, where the financial gain treated as major aim, and students interest is treated as just some goods.

Prophet Muhammad taught us to listen to our hearts, even if people give us verdicts.

Silence is a sign of contentment.

Theoretically, the school directors could be right and I could be wrong.

   But technically, I am right, because I attended the classroom regularly, and I saw how it was like therein.

I am pleased that I listened to my heart, and I critically implemented the tennets of Islam on that regard.

Islam commands me not to lie, whilst they basicly wanted me to cheat the mother, to flatter the school system, so they can keep the commercial interest as high as possible.

I knew I was tremendously straightforward, and the only mistake I made that I was not sufficiently diplomatic.

Well at least, I might not be crazy after all.

I just thought of sharing my experience.

Everyday, we learn something as we grow up, and I certainly have learned from my little mistake of not being diplomatic enough.

Thank you for reading, and peace be with you.

It is always hope that gives meaning to life.