Friends Short Story – THE DAY OF INSPECTION
Photo credit: imelenchon from morguefile.com
The school is successful in its aim to foster individuality and to enable pupils to be happy, succeed and flourish. Truth is confirmed by inspection though delayed. A failure will not appear until it has passed final inspection.
It is a small school in a village. Paul is the headmaster of the school. He has four teachers excluding him and the school is doing well with good teachers and teaching.
You cannot control students in a village school. They are not well trained as in a city where children look neat and good with the efforts of the parents in the cities. In a village, children are from small income families and the teachers cannot make them look excellently looking with their dress or with their manners.
Some students come with unfamiliar dress to school. Like, the shirt will be with long sleeves, torn pockets, something looks bizarre and their hair will be a mop of messy hair. A girl comes with a garland of some unknown wild flowers. She says, her mother loves these flowers, so she wears this garland for her.
A boy is suffering with cold and his nose is constantly running. It is natural with people with severe cold. There will be a burning feeling in the nose or throat, followed by sneezing, a runny nose, and a feeling of being tired and unwell. All this we cannot stop or change in general appearance of a village school. We cannot see long left cases of common temporary ill health in children in cities, which in villages is a common trait as unattended.
“Tomorrow, we are going to meet the officer from our state education department. He will see the development of our school and report to the department. Depending on this report, our school’s aid will be continued or discontinued.” Paul said the importance of inspection in simple words.
The teachers in the school are really worried about the inspection. So they thought, they should get the school ready for this and it is perfectly looking well for this.
It should be known by this inspection that how well the teachers are doing their job. The inspection is directly not to judge teachers by putting questions to them, they inspect the students and by the replies given by the students, the caliber of the teachers is gauged and derived as if squeezed from them. It is an instrument to determine the exact dimensions, capacity, quantity, or force of the standard of the teaching.
Teachers advised the students to come with neat dress to school next day as it is a day of Inspection.
They are also advised by the teachers that they prepare well for the inspection and answer carefully every question put by the education officer.
Pupils of the school understood how important the day is. So they are well prepared for the day and they also took every care to be well dressed.
*****
The headmaster Paul is waiting for the education officer, with great unease. He also made all the arrangements to treat him well, as the village has no hotel.
Paul arranged for dinner in a grand way for the education officer to come, in his house.
It is after noon and the officer did not turned up.
Paul’s mobile started ringing. It is the education officer. He said that he cannot come today, he will come next day as he is not feeling well with his health.
Paul was unhappy for one thing that he will have to get the children ready for tomorrow also like this.
On the same day, a childhood friend to Paul has come to school. He remembers him, he is Alfred.
Alfred is Paul’s classmate in elementary school and he likes Paul very much. Alfred came all of a sudden after so many years and he forgot to ask so much about him as he knows not where he is, how many children he has, etc., thought, he will ask all that leisurely.
“Alfred, today we expected our education officer, but just now he informed me that he will come tomorrow.”
Paul said disappointed for he did not come today. Alfred smiled. He gazed in to Paul’s face and said as if telling satirically.
“Don’t worry. I have come to see you. I can see your school and staff with the children here, think for a while that I am that officer.”
Paul also smiled for his wit.
He introduced Alfred to his teachers that he is his close friend. He also said that Alfred wants to see how our school is working.
“Let the pupils think him as the district education officer for some time and let me enjoy how my friend inspects my school.” Paul said.
Alfred was happy for the perfect development of the education in the school. He thought that the children are more interested in studies.
What he thought odd is the bizarre dressing which looks unnatural for a village school and it appears not suitable to the students of a school in a village.
Paul agreed and accepted that all this is arranged for this special day. Some children are given dresses by some other children of the school.
There is no doubt that it is all artificial arrangement made for the day of inspection and he agreed with Alfred completely.
Alfred smiled.
Alfred had a good feast in Paul’s home. In the evening, Alfred is getting ready to go,
Paul cannot know anything about Alfred. When asked, he said he w tell everything. He did not. Paul asked him to stay for few days.
“The job is over. I have to report tomorrow in the office.” Alfred said.
Then the vehicle of the district education officer has come and as Paul is wondering, Alfred said that the inspection is over.
Alfred sat in the jeep and said goodbye to bewildered Paul.
__END__
