Every year September 5 is celebrated as Teachers day in India. This is a day to remember, honour and appreciate the role of teachers in our lives. It is also the birthday of the former President of India and a great teacher himself, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India in 1962, some of his students and friends had approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate September 5, as his birthday. In reply Dr. Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers’ Day”. The gesture by Dr Radhakrishnan’s was manifest of his love for the teaching profession. From then onwards, the day has been observed as Teachers’ Day all over the country. Today is also a good time to introspect on the role being played by teachers in moulding the future generation of citizens and also the problems if any that the multitude of people in the teaching profession are faced with.
According to the history of Chinese education, Confucius is seen as a shining example of all teachers, symbolizing the philosophy of “Educate all without discrimination, and teach according to the abilities of ones students.” Confucius according to legend had more than three thousand disciples during his lifetime. In practice of his credo, the Sage never refused a student because of his class or character, requiring only that his pupils possess a sincere desire to learn.
What we find today is that the teaching profession has by and large degenerated to such an extent that the teacher teaches not because they are interested in developing the character of students but because he or she gets the salary. On the other hand, the government, students and even parents do not consider them to be a teacher but rather as a service provider hence, the teacher-student relationship is more businesslike, a sort of a bargain. When a teacher is reduced to this status, the expectations of instilling values are in vain.
Another problem is teacher absentees in schools. It is very common to see parents and students complaining about teachers who frequently miss work. Studies conducted by a team of economists from Harvard University and the World Bank scrutinized in detail, this extent of teacher truancy in India. The study concluded that, at any time, 25 percent of the teachers were absent from schools. Studies conducted in other countries showed India to be one of the worst cases. Bangladesh’s teacher-truancy rate was 16 percent. Zambia’s was 17 percent. Only Uganda was worse, with 27 percent. In the US, the rate as of 1993-94 was between 5 and 6 percent.
One would also need to examine the probable reasons for teacher truancy or poor performance and whether it has to do with their salary, leave entitlements or their own complaints that schools are under-equipped, under-funded, under-staffed, and over-crowded. If indeed these are genuine problems faced by teacher, then a solution would also have to be worked out by the government.
Today’s education is turning out doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc., but to some extent, it is not producing good human beings. Unless education instils moral and spiritual values in a child, it can not produce human beings. As stated by former US President Bill Clinton, the 21st century must be the century of education and the century of the teacher. We would also need to give due cognisance of problems faced by teachers so that educational institutions, both private and government, can attract a better quality individual. Surely, our children... and our future are worth it.
