While privately managed schools are virtually dime a dozen in all cities, including Mysuru, in our times, one could count them on one’s fingers even as the Government of the erstwhile Princely State of Mysore had a monopoly as it were in the education sector. For reasons familiar to the citizens of the city, parents favoured Government Schools in those days, while it may be embarrassing to many to hazard listing the reasons. Strangely, getting their wards admitted to Government High Schools on the basis of marks scored in the public examination was referred as five-rupee examination by lay people or Lower Secondary (LS) examination. The teacher fraternity in privately managed schools were known for work ethics, while their, not all, counterparts were bestowed high rating in society, although some of them had the rare honours of being household names. In either class of schools, teachers developed strong bonds not only with their pupils but also parents taking interest in the progress of their wards. At College level, that bond was purely formal, if at all.
The elderly citizens in Mysuru can recollect with nostalgia the utterly selfless service of Government School teachers of their younger days, treating their students as part of their family, despite abject poverty, given the measly pay packet they earned. Some of them supplementing their salary by taking private tuitions didn’t improve their family income, unlike nowadays.
