Education,Proverty&Patience

David is studying in one of the most expensive university without any help from his parents. David went to finance division to unblock his account for his course registration. This is his last and final semester. He is going to finish his degree in English Literature if he can unblock his account this semester and take 4 subjects equivalent to 12 credit hours. In every semester, he used to take 7 subjects equivalent to 18.5 credit hours. Each course has 3 credit hours except debating. Debating carries only 0.5 credit hour, but David used to spend his time in debating club and debating course in last 3 years during his undergraduate program. This degree program is expected to finish in 4 years, but David is going to finish in 3 and half years if he can unblock and register subjects this semester. Since he has outstanding debt around 7100 $, he has to meet with finance officers. He took a slip from small machine and was waiting for his time to meet with finance officer. When his time came, he entered in finance officer’s room. David has been meeting with this officer over the last few years since he does not have enough money to pay every semester. This officer carries Excellent dealing capabilities with students without doubt. This finance officer basically needs to deal with all the financially depressed students of this university. This officer is very calm minded, and he can deliver speech as he has been trained probably. Dealing with depressing students are really hard task. David sometimes wonder how these officers manage to be happy with their family members while whole day they need to deal with depressed students.

“Sir, I need to open my account” David said. “Your matric no?” officer asked while looking at monitor’s screen and was ready to type matric number in his official computer’s keyboard. David uttered his matric number like bullet. The officer checked it up and looked at David’s face. “Brother, you have outstanding debt almost 7100 $ and you did not make payment last 3 semester” Officer stopped for a while and continued again “So, how?” paused for few seconds “How are you going to settle your outstanding debt brother?” “Sir, actually my family is from village area of Bangladesh, and my father cannot pay money for my study and even for food. Hence, I need to work part time and I also have zakat approval from the university now to continue my study” David uttered these broken English sentences in medium pace while trying to look his eyes down and making his face look like depressed student. “Brother, we helped you a lot and we see you are being fully dependent on our university for finance” .David replied in very slow voice while looking his face down “yees, sir”. He would definitely cry if he were not in front of officer, but now he has to act normal to face reality of life. Management, Universe, God most probably do not want to understand your inner emotion, but success and reality revolve based on them weather we general people like or not. As for God perhaps he is waiting for the Day of Judgment for everything. Management perhaps are here to provide short term logical and realistic solution, but as for universe it simply does not understand how professional, expert, lazy, and needy you are, all are made of atoms and all are under same umbrella to the universe most probably .Officer said at last “Brother, meet with my senior finance officer, I cannot open your account.” “Ok, Sir” saying this David stood up from chair and went inside senior finance officer’s room (hellfire) to meet with senior finance officer.

For the time being, David is sitting outside of senior finance officer’s office (hellfire) since another student like David is getting mental punishment and David could hear from his place. David is thinking that this is his last semester. Hence, whatever this senior finance officer articulates, he has to digest if he wants to finish his degree. Student came out from office room (hellfire). Now David went towards the gate of hellfire and gave Salam slowly like mumbling. Senior officer looked at a glance towards David face and said “Yes brother?” “Madam, finance sir asked me to meet with you” David whispered in vibrating tone. “Give me your financial statement” while half widening her hand towards David. “Yes mam” David passed his financial statement. “Brother you did not make payment for so long and we have to answer to university authority why you unblocked this student while he did not make payment for so long”. David had no answer and was silent. The money he has in his pocket maybe 100RM now and he worked non-stop 17 days during his semester break, but did not receive his salary yet. Many students spent these holidays with their family or maybe visiting new places with friends while David had to work every day 10-12 hours and slept with workers in company hostel. Even workers feel uncomfortable sometimes when they see David sleeps on the floor at the corner of their common area. One worker wants to give his pillow while other worker wants to give his bed sheet to sleep on the floor. David did not bother with anyone for his lifestyle. Frankly speaking he loves an ordinary life, but he wants education. One day he went to park and he was walking next to park’s Lake. He saw two construction workers were trying to catch fish in afternoon time. He went towards them and started talking. Both of them are from southern part of Bangladesh. One of them is from Chittagong and another one is from Cox’s Bazar. The person from Cox’s Bazar is, in fact, a Rohingya but his family lives in Bangladesh. They were very ordinary people and David loved to spend his time with them. David’s friend who is also from Bangladesh and studying with him in same university said to David “David, they are workers. Why are you talking with them?” David did not understand how to reply. He just said “It does not matter, they are very good people”. 

David said “Madam this is my very last semester. I just need to open my account to register my course and I will work and try to pay back my debt if I can finish this semester.” “Management will not understand weather you are final semester or not, we will be responsible to answer to university authority why this student did not pay for so long”. Suddenly it seemed to David the senior officer is talking softly with David and not like previous semesters in last few years or maybe it is just his assumption. Senior officer said to David “brother, you go to deputy rector office and meet with appointed brother and try to convince him. See if he can help you”. David replied “Ok Madam” while taking back his financial statement from senior finance officer. David came down from hellfire with calm mind maybe because this is his last semester in his degree.

David went to upstairs directly towards deputy rector’s office once he was out from finance division. He entered deputy rector’s office and found that appointed brother in phone in his office. David stopped at the door of appointed brother’s room and appointed brother saw David at glance while asked David to sit down in chair by sign language while speaking in his phone. “Brother, our alumni got job at one university as vice chancellor and she has just a few amount of due payment with our university. Her matric number is……. Yeah. Please brother do try to help for this sister……….”

While David was listening appointed brother’s conversation, he was remembering the incident what happened with David almost 1 and half years back in this deputy rector office. That time there was another appointed officer. David came and asked for financial assistance in same way as he has come today. David mentioned his problem of not having support from his village half educated parents. The appointed officer asked David to come after one- or two-days David cannot remember properly. When David met for 2nd time, the appointed officer said to David “How much you can pay” David replied “I have already paid to open my account RM 500” As he worked during semester break as usual. Officer said “Listen carefully. I am leaving for another University somewhere for Middle East country. Our deputy rector office will help you this certain amount of money as financial assistance. Half of the money you will pay to one sister’s account who has financial problem like you and I am giving her account number to you. And from half of the money you can keep RM500 which you have already paid as tuition fee and the rest of the money you bank in as your tuition fee. David replied “All right brother”. The financial assistance payment was delayed to bank in and the brother already went to that Middle East country for his appointed job. And he communicated via what’s app that David needs to give half of the financial assistance money to his brother’s hand since his brother studies in this university as well, because ex-appointed officer paid money to that sister who needs financial assistance as well. It made some confusion to David’s mind. Firstly, the financial assistance money will come by the name of David and it will appear in David’s financial statement. If David pays half of the money to ex-appointed officer’s brother, there will be no proper documentation. And the ex-appointed officer again and again was asking David via what’s app to give money to his brother’s account. David was in big trouble and confusion. What David did was once the financial assistance money came in to David’s account, he did not withdraw that money first and he went to deputy rector office directly and he talked with one of senior staffs in explaining the trouble about his financial assistance money. The senior staff brought David towards this new appointed officer and David explained everything to him. He replied he does not know what to do and he tried to call his senior officer and since his senior officer did not pick up the phone and he put back his phone receiver. And answered to David after discussing with other staff that David should transfer all the money to University account as David’s tuition fee, and if anything, that ex- appointed officer needs to say, he should contact with newly appointed officer in rectory office. And the lady officer said to David RM500 you can keep from your financial assistance since you paid RM500 previously. When David texted to that ex-appointed officer via what’s app what he has done with the financial assistance money. Ex-appointed officer started to reply by saying David as hypocrite and cannot do anything in life and scolded a lot with slangs words. David replied by saying he does not need degree and all David did because David thought it was like open corruption and David would be unable to answer to Management if in future he was asked about half of the money, because there would be no proper documentation and David replied “If you have anything to speak, please speak with deputy rector office with that newly appointed officer”. He replied rudely using slang language but David never replied rudely and he just ignored. At last, the ex-appointed officer tried to act like normal by saying “I will talk with newly appointed officer and you have made a bad image against me.” David replied “I am extremely sorry sir for my shortcomings, but I did what I thought to be right”. Later on David was thinking did David do right thing? Or David is really hypocrite? One of the lecturers in his university mentioned one day that society is sick and life is full of hypocrisy and illusionary.

Later that year David went to rectory office for the last time. Appointed officer finished his speaking in phone, put back his receiver, and gave his hand towards David’s hand for the purpose of handshaking by saying how you are brother? David replied “Yes, Sir I am great”. “Your health condition is good?” asked appointed officer. David again replied “Yes, I am ok” while smiling shyly. “How can I help you brother? “Appointed officer asked with cheering face. David said, “This is my last semester and I need to open my account Sir for subject registration. I worked during semester break, but did not receive my salary yet”. Appointed Officer said “currently we are helping only those who have graduated already. I will ask my senior officer about you if he can do something for you, but he is not available here and he is now in UK to join one program”. David said while mumbling again “So, when should I come?” with dry voice and with no art and no emotion like neglected dog in the street. “I am not sure bother, but next week you can come and try to talk with him”. David said two words only and gave Salam while turning his face and came out from officer’s room “Ok, brother, thank you”. David came out from deputy rector office, and took ablution and entered in mosque to perform two rak’a prayer.

Next week on Monday David came again in deputy rector office and he saw the officer dealing with other students. When David met with the officer, officer replied “yes, my senior boss has come, and he is coming to office shortly” you can wait in common area. David said “all right, sir I will wait”. David waited for 10 minutes perhaps only and senior officer entered in deputy rector office. David saw he was very ordinary and frankly man, but speaking in Arabic language which David cannot speak properly though David has background from religious institutions. David tried to get attention from the senior officer by standing up since he was busy to speak with others. He saw David and gave him Salam at first and said “yes brother how I can help you?” while smiling. David said “Sir asked me to meet with you for financial assistance to open my account.” Senior officer replied “officer did not tell me yet. Let’s go and talk with him together”. Senior officer went to officer’s room with David while officer was talking with other students. Senior officer asked the officer about David. Officer stood up and said to other students “I am coming, please wait”. Officer came outside his office with senior officer and took David’s financial statement from David’s hand. David was standing in common area and senior officer and officer went to another office just to discuss probably and came back later. Senior officer again became busy with other people and officer came to David and said “Brother, we can give financial assistance 1000$ and you need to go and talk with finance officer if they unblock your account with this amount”. David replied “Ok, Sir…Thank you”. He took back the financial statement and went to finance department. He met with finance officer whom David met first time. Finance officer said “where is the written declaration for your financial assistance?” “Ok sir, I am going and asking the officer in deputy rector office now” David took the financial statement again and went back to deputy rector office again to get written declaration. Officer wrote something in David’s financial statement and gave back to David. David again hurried up to Finance division. Finance officer read the written declaration in financial statement and said “so, brother when will you pay the rest of the money?” David replied, “I will pay Insha’Allah” with no confidence. Finance officer said, “Go and wait outside “I am working on another student’s financial matter. David thought his account will be unblocked maybe after his task with another student. He came out from finance office and became so happy and running towards ITD where he can check if his account is unblocked? He waited for 15 minutes, but account is not unblocked yet. He again hurried towards finance division and asked the front desk girl that my account is not unblocked yet. The girl replied finance officer said perhaps after 30 minutes, not 15 minutes. David thought perhaps the girl is right and he again hurried towards ITD to wait and check his account. Once account is unblocked David can see his result of previous semester. He waited another 20 minutes in ITD, but the account is still blocked. He again hurried towards finance division and said to the lady “Sister, my account is not opened yet”. The lady said “wait, the finance officer is dealing with someone now”. David sat on the chair while waiting to see finance officer. When a student came out from finance officer’s office, the lady allowed David to meet with finance officer again for the third time today. David entered in office room, officer saw David at glance, and said “Yes, brother you meet with my senior officer”. David did not talk at all and he just stood up and went towards senior officer and entered in office room. David gave his financial statement and she read the declarative sentence from officer of deputy rector office. Senior finance officer started to write something on financial statement to unblock David’s account and said “brother, you will still have a lots of debt when you will graduate. Please try to manage from somewhere”. David replied “I will work and pay back Madam (with dry voice)”. Did Jean Paul Satre encourage me for my passion for education? (What an amazing stubborn man who rejected Nobel Prize) David was saying in his mind. Existentialism is humanism.