There is no denying the fact that medical and engineering aspirants receive royal treatment from many teachers and people around them. This is evident from small acts – getting extra attention from teachers, being held in high regard among relatives, being preferred by tutors, etc. Sadly, the parents of some of these kids have a tremendous sense of entitlement.
For example, the Director of IIT Bombay, Professor Chaudhuri, took to Facebook to narrate a rather amusing phone call he had with a parent of one of the top rankers of JEE Advance.
Firstly, the parent asked if the student would get a scholarship, which is okay considering many bright students are given scholarships if they come from financially unstable families, but not otherwise.
“A parent of one of the very high rankers in JEE (adv) called me today asking two unusual questions — (i) if my kid joins IITB, would you give him/her a scholarship because of a high rank? My reply was – if the parental income is low, we can definitely support it if the student applies, but not otherwise.”
The next query was shocking. The parent asked if the student would get a separate flat within the campus. To this, the Director gave a fitting reply.
“Can you provide him/her a flat in the campus? My answer: Are you trying to bargain because of the high rank of your kid? Please note that all five kids of a mother may not be equally endowed, but to the mother all kids are equal. Similarly, for IITB also, once a student joins, all of them enjoy the same rights and privileges irrespective of their rank, income, culture or social status.”
Professor Chaudhuri went on to add, “I hope I could send a proper message to the parent. Let the kid be a kid among all other kids and grow taller by being with them and not away from them.”
Have a look at his post here:
Many people took to the comment section to laud the Professor’s strict yet sensible response. Some even slammed such parents for making unrealistic demands. Have a look:
Whether a topper or not, all students should be treated equally.