Abdul Hamid Mir
The Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5. It marks the birth anniversary of the former President of India, Dr S. Radhakrishnan. Come Teachers day and students are compelled to carry the placards/banners which read as: ‘Happy Teachers’ Day’, but as a matter of fact, nobody is ‘happy’ with teaching community these days! The best way to celebrate the day is that teachers realize their responsibilities and be committed to impart quality education to the learners. In the present milieu where quantification is at its peak, we need a quality human resource for achieving desired objectives. Teachers are the architects of human resource. God has created all the existing known and unknown knowledge (to man) in the universe. Teacher has been assigned the responsibility to impart a fraction of known existing knowledge so that the learner can recognise his Lord and there will be no chaos and ambiguity in the sustenance of the life on earth.
The teachers at all levels should also provide moral education to their students besides academics because teachers are the backbone of our society. Teacher sans moral virtues is equivalent to an illiterate and aggressive person who is useless for the society. Teaching should not only be considered as a means of discharging the duties but as a moral responsibility. There is a delicate relationship between a student and a teacher at all levels ranging from Primary School to University. However, in the present times, this pious relationship has been perturbed to a great extent. Day in and day out, newspapers carry the reports of involvement of teachers in wrongdoings which are shocking with regard to their profession. This is unfortunate on behalf of a teacher. The need of the hour is to restore this harmonious relationship and in this way a teacher will automatically regain his status in the society. A teacher has potential to change the destiny of a nation. The teachers must be models of faith and piety. In co-educational institutions responsibilities of teachers multiply. Efforts should be made in order to flourish good character among the students because good character is a pre-requisite for a sound personality.
A teacher himself should first follow a role model and then become the same for learners. Teachers should dedicate themselves to their job to such an extent that society perceives a great regard for teacher rather than knowing their identity just as a ‘masterji’. Once a candidate is recruited as teacher, it seems as if all the shadows of lethargy have covered him/her. Then he begins to learn about the statistics of wages and unfortunately the real entity (i.e., pupil) is being ignored. Despite a sound infrastructure and qualified staff, Government schools continue to be traditionally known as inferior. We need to explore the reasons as to why there is no improvement in the quality education in Government run schools. In spite of being paid a handsome salary, the government teacher is not able to bring any substantial change in education sector. There should be scope for teacher training in the form of teacher refreshment courses. There should be a scope for inter-state (international, if possible) teacher interactions at various levels so that a teacher may be able to broaden his mental horizon and develop a broad vision. In the current era of Information Technology, a good teacher must also be computer literate so that (s) he gets acquainted with the latest pedagogies and ongoing revolutionary changes in the world in the form of knowledge explosion. Besides, usage of non-conventional teaching aids (like Power Point Presentation) could be attained and encouraged in this manner.
If we are able to catch the excellence and groom the students’ personality at an earlier stage, may be in future, our people may no longer have to face the menace of corruption and uncertainty. I believe, incase our nation has to get rid of the current social evils; education is the only best possible medium for achieving the desired goal. And teachers are at the real interface of this medium. The selection procedure including eligibility criteria for teachers should be revised keeping in view the changing trends in the standards of education. Recently, the Government of J&K decided to introduce a written test for selection of fresh teachers which is a good step in this regard. The grievances of teachers (if any) should be addressed by the Government so as to ensure desirable changes at the grassroots level. UNESCO’s recent recommendations can’t modify the Educational Setup of J&K unless State Govt. itself takes effective steps to overhaul the department. In this regard, again, teachers have to play the central role. Govt. Employees in general and teachers in particular, should not consider their respective workplaces just as points of drawing salary from the Government exchequer, rather they must serve the people in real sense and deliver above their personal benefits. Whether September 5 or not, every day is teachers’ day in case they consider teaching as a means of worship, which is the best possible way to pay tributes to the great scholar, teacher and Philospher Dr S. Radhakrishnan.
(The author is Lecturer Chemistry)
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