Tarannum Sattar

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
-Kofi Annan

While choosing this quote for my write up today, I had a hard time deciding what to focus on. After much debate with my superficial mind, I decided to go with the base of knowledge.
Knowledge, as we all know, is a source of power. Without knowledge, we are as good as wooden dolls, they say. But what do we become when we try to sustain in the world without the basic knowledge?
You know what I’m talking about.
The hype is about the much discussed GPA 5 holders who were interviewed or rather quizzed by a journalist on national TV. A reporter from the well known TV channel ‘Maasranga’, went around with a microphone and a rolling video, asking the SSC examinees all sorts of questions starting from the ones found in BCS guide to translation of Bangla language to English.
The responses from the respected interviewees were astonishing if not shocking:
When asked about who wrote our national anthem, one of them confidently answered Kazi Nazrul Islam. We all respect the idol but we definitely always thank Tagore for gifting us with the wonderful songs we still sing from Geetanjali. To that great icon, we owe our national anthem.
There was another candidate who answered that our Independence Day is on December 16 and also proclaimed our Victory Day to be somewhat on December 26, definitely none were anywhere near March.
The last blow was probably the girl who said that “Operation Searchlight” is the light that is lit during the surgery. One young man, however, knew the answer to this one.
I stand with them, by them. But I still disagree that Everest is in England.
How often do we get asked about all these trivia that can help us trigger our basic knowledge? Better still, how often are we reminded that we need to know what we don’t know and who is going to tell us that we don’t know what we need to know?
The questions that were asked by the reporter were based on such basic knowledge. The examinees who have secured a Golden A or GPA 5 and have made their family proud, were supposed to have already dealt with all the questions by now. These are the very youth who are going to be someone influential tomorrow. These very youth are going to leave their mark on the national and international territory while representing Bangladesh. And now, the world knows how hollow our base is.
Oh Reporter, what have you done.
The rush of increased GPA 5 started a few years ago when the local newspapers constantly kept reporting the rise of GPA 5 as a whole but the rate noticeably fell in Dhaka. The candidates in Rajshahi have been reported to be the highest GPA 5 achievers, a region prominent for its population literacy. The rising of GPA 5 or Golden A has made headlines for the past few years and this year the media decided to take its own test. And the result was upsetting in more than one way.
To begin with, the reporter of the respected channel shouldn’t have swooped in on the youth like this. Even though, the questions he asked could be expected to be answerable, the camera can act as an intimidating device.
People are known to have forgotten memorized speech when they appeared in front of a camera.
Secondly, rather than harassing the students, the teachers who teach them in school or those who mark the papers should have been brought to light. After all, students are prone to studying less or not studying at all but it is always up to the teachers to ensure their learning. Where were they during the unequivocal questioning?