NOT too long ago, attending school meant lots of hard work, exposure to committed academics who were capable of elevating the learning curve, shining at extra-curricular activities and finally achieving well-deserved accolades at the end of term.

But the highlight of this wonderful journey used to be a much-awaited ‘farewell function’, where the junior class used to act as hosts for the outgoing seniors, with a lot of warmth, well wishes, and even scattered tears. The itinerary of the programme used to be a few hilarious skits, performances on popular songs, a parody of teachers who terrorised students — but the most exciting part used to be where titles were awarded to the outgoing class.

The event, held during school hours, would end with teachers and school staff signing autograph books and posing with pupils informally, which was considered nothing less than an honour by all those present. The idea of dressing up in fancy clothes and jewellery thrilled the girls the most, as the worn-out uniform could well be given a rest for that day. Hard to believe, in those days make-up was still a definite no-no! Boys were boys and looked no different, except they wore colourful clothes.

Fast forward to present times and one would be shocked at the evolution that this special occasion has gone through. For most schools now, farewell parties — now referred to as prom night — are held late into the night and the budget that students work with has reached astronomical figures. As the presentation and content have been spiced up, the preparations begin many months before, with endless days of rehearsals to achieve perfection.

In terms of attire and grooming, on the day each student seems to be bent upon outdoing the other, with the girls wearing custom-made gowns, while boys have tailored tuxedos and look straight like heroes from any slick Hollywood production. It is their ultimate dream to bag the Prom King/Queen Award.

But this evening is merely a culmination of a string of activities that mark the end of tenure for a specific batch. The outgoing class commemorates their remaining time at school by celebrating days like ‘ditch day’, where classes are deliberately missed, ‘pizza day’, where a take-out order is placed and devoured at school, and even ‘crazy day’. Students wearing the most outrageous costumes show up at school in the most bizarre ways and provide entertainment of all sorts with their singing, dancing and wild routines.

There is no harm in striving to make the last few days at school memorable, especially since our society is running short of avenues of entertainment.

But what is mind-boggling is that on such occasions, the idea of having fun crosses the fine line between decent behaviour and what is outrageous. And then there is a race between students to see who is going to post pictures first on the social media for the entire world to see, not realising that there is no need to make this a public viewing event.

By indulging in these activities, isn’t it aggravating the financial burden on parents who are already reeling under the pressures of mounting tuition fees, annual charges and other expenses? Doesn’t it widen the class divide in our society as many students give in to peer pressure although it may cause hardships for their families?

Acquisition of education is an essential goal for an individual and its pursuit is like an heirloom, passed from one generation to the other.

While it is important to make this journey worthwhile, we must stay equally mindful that the opening of minds and hearts must not lead to abandoning of our values and culture. Our strength lies in our roots.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2014