The current social standing of a teacher in our society.
Today is Teacher's Day. In our country 5th September, the date of birth of Dr. Radhakrishnan, is celebrated as such in his fond memory. Dr. Radhakrishnan, throughout his life considered himself primarily a teacher notwithstanding he became president of India. His fathomless depth in the field of philosophical studies earned him reputation worldwide. Several books of immense importance in the field of Indian philosophy is due to him. The entire intellectual community is deeply indebted to his critical thinking and genius exposition of the finer aspects of Indian philosophy and hindu view of life. It enabled the outer world to shed misgivings or misconceptions related the Indian philosophy which is inextricably in the metaphysics.
This important day offers opportunity to discuss teachers' plight that very few appears to appreciate. For most of us teachers of present day are less than competent who shirk duty given an opportunity. The social standing of a teacher in the society can be gauged from the fact that you will not find a child in the class who aspires to be a teacher. Teaching is viewed in the society as a last option that one can seek to become able to remove the tag of being unemployed. This means that talent does not find a place of abode in the profession called teaching.
Even ask any parent, in most of the cases they will not say that they want their son or daughter to be a teacher. For them if one does not succeed in the dream of becoming a civil servant or doctor or engineer then as a last resort to find job of any kind teaching as a profession comes to his rescue and saves him from being jobless. This leads one to conclude, generally speaking, teaching community is either filled by the talent of inferior order or people from the community of missed opportunities. It can be safely said that the stock does not comprise people with zeal to burn themselves for illuminating the minds it comes in contact with.
In such view of the matter it should not surprise us if we find a so called teacher not able to write even an application correctly or solve a sum of the most simple nature or creating mess of sorts in teaching without any basic knowledge of the subject.
In government schools teaching is no more the core duty expected from a teacher. It has undergone a paradigm shift. Not to speak of playing the role of an educator or mentor their role even as an ordinary teacher has ceased to exist. Teaching as a pursuit of faithful and sincere duty has long back been buried under the pressure of arranging mid-day meals in school, preparing/updating electoral roll, conducting elections of various bodies from panchayat to loksabha. Nobody now expects from them to teach well. The priorities of guardians even have veered to only ensure that their wards do not lag behind in getting governmental entitlements like stipends, cycles and liveries etc. Even higher officials like District Education Officer and other inspecting authorities happen to visit schools not for the purpose of checking and ascertaining the level of learning of the children but to ensure that the fund meant for mid-day meals, construction of school buildings, other associated allotments etc. are not bungled. At best, in course of such visits or inspections, they seek to ensure that the entitlements are duly distributed among the rightful claimants.
In our times one important official who would visit schools was School Inspector(Equivalent to the Block Education Officer of present day). By an ordinary visit of his in the school all teachers would become alert and on their toes. They took it a point that the said official might not get a chance to point out any deficiency in the teaching skill of any teacher. To that end they would alert their students in advance about the subject matter they would happen to ask them (students) before the said official.
In short, what is intended to say is that teachers today do all jobs other than teaching. Teaching has been outsourced to the coaching institutes mushroomed in all nooks and corner of the streets; even mohallas. Notwithstanding, it is also a fact that we expect that teachers must be held responsible in case their child fails in the examination. And examinations! less said the better.
Internet has further devalued the teaching profession. Teacher today is no more the only source of Knowledge. Source has shifted from teacher to coaching functionaries serving the boys or girls with ready-made study materials and the journey of learning(?) ultimately finds refuse in Wikipedia. Students find quite at ease to copy the study material from the site. Social media, too, has opened opportunity for e-learning reducing the status of the local teacher to a mere person of only working knowledge of the subject;nothing beyond that.
The above lines have not been written to disparage the service rendered by the teachers of present day but rather it is aimed at exploring ourselves as to know what ails our teaching system and what we need to do to emerge from the quagmire.
In order that the teaching community becomes able to regain its past glory I strongly feel there is no way out but the teacher must find an opportunity to play the role of co-creator of Knowledge and seeker of participative learning.They must keep their self interest subdued towards building a strong person sound in knowledge as well as character. Only this way they can impact upon the pupil. Example is always better than precept. But amidst the stormy market forces and commodification/monetization of even relationships we know how difficult it is to discharge a duty in a pious and selfless manner.
Of course, until and unless they get support, co-operation and recognition from the society and government, it is too onerous a task to be discharged. Otherwise to expect from them what we ourselves do not do or have is something of a wishful thinking.
Abraham Lincoln had right for such expectations from his son's teacher but we, given our ailing belief system, do not have that right. At least for now. Is not it?
R.R.Prabhakar.
05.09.2019.
This important day offers opportunity to discuss teachers' plight that very few appears to appreciate. For most of us teachers of present day are less than competent who shirk duty given an opportunity. The social standing of a teacher in the society can be gauged from the fact that you will not find a child in the class who aspires to be a teacher. Teaching is viewed in the society as a last option that one can seek to become able to remove the tag of being unemployed. This means that talent does not find a place of abode in the profession called teaching.
Even ask any parent, in most of the cases they will not say that they want their son or daughter to be a teacher. For them if one does not succeed in the dream of becoming a civil servant or doctor or engineer then as a last resort to find job of any kind teaching as a profession comes to his rescue and saves him from being jobless. This leads one to conclude, generally speaking, teaching community is either filled by the talent of inferior order or people from the community of missed opportunities. It can be safely said that the stock does not comprise people with zeal to burn themselves for illuminating the minds it comes in contact with.
In such view of the matter it should not surprise us if we find a so called teacher not able to write even an application correctly or solve a sum of the most simple nature or creating mess of sorts in teaching without any basic knowledge of the subject.
In government schools teaching is no more the core duty expected from a teacher. It has undergone a paradigm shift. Not to speak of playing the role of an educator or mentor their role even as an ordinary teacher has ceased to exist. Teaching as a pursuit of faithful and sincere duty has long back been buried under the pressure of arranging mid-day meals in school, preparing/updating electoral roll, conducting elections of various bodies from panchayat to loksabha. Nobody now expects from them to teach well. The priorities of guardians even have veered to only ensure that their wards do not lag behind in getting governmental entitlements like stipends, cycles and liveries etc. Even higher officials like District Education Officer and other inspecting authorities happen to visit schools not for the purpose of checking and ascertaining the level of learning of the children but to ensure that the fund meant for mid-day meals, construction of school buildings, other associated allotments etc. are not bungled. At best, in course of such visits or inspections, they seek to ensure that the entitlements are duly distributed among the rightful claimants.
In our times one important official who would visit schools was School Inspector(Equivalent to the Block Education Officer of present day). By an ordinary visit of his in the school all teachers would become alert and on their toes. They took it a point that the said official might not get a chance to point out any deficiency in the teaching skill of any teacher. To that end they would alert their students in advance about the subject matter they would happen to ask them (students) before the said official.
In short, what is intended to say is that teachers today do all jobs other than teaching. Teaching has been outsourced to the coaching institutes mushroomed in all nooks and corner of the streets; even mohallas. Notwithstanding, it is also a fact that we expect that teachers must be held responsible in case their child fails in the examination. And examinations! less said the better.
Internet has further devalued the teaching profession. Teacher today is no more the only source of Knowledge. Source has shifted from teacher to coaching functionaries serving the boys or girls with ready-made study materials and the journey of learning(?) ultimately finds refuse in Wikipedia. Students find quite at ease to copy the study material from the site. Social media, too, has opened opportunity for e-learning reducing the status of the local teacher to a mere person of only working knowledge of the subject;nothing beyond that.
The above lines have not been written to disparage the service rendered by the teachers of present day but rather it is aimed at exploring ourselves as to know what ails our teaching system and what we need to do to emerge from the quagmire.
In order that the teaching community becomes able to regain its past glory I strongly feel there is no way out but the teacher must find an opportunity to play the role of co-creator of Knowledge and seeker of participative learning.They must keep their self interest subdued towards building a strong person sound in knowledge as well as character. Only this way they can impact upon the pupil. Example is always better than precept. But amidst the stormy market forces and commodification/monetization of even relationships we know how difficult it is to discharge a duty in a pious and selfless manner.
Of course, until and unless they get support, co-operation and recognition from the society and government, it is too onerous a task to be discharged. Otherwise to expect from them what we ourselves do not do or have is something of a wishful thinking.
Abraham Lincoln had right for such expectations from his son's teacher but we, given our ailing belief system, do not have that right. At least for now. Is not it?
R.R.Prabhakar.
05.09.2019.
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