Teaching is a profession that creates all other professions'. This quote is absolutely true because teachers impart vision to the students at a very tender age and help them to guide their thoughts and energize them in pursuing a career. But the wordprofession' actually does not suit the noble work that the teacher does. The wordprofession' according to oxford dictionary isa paid occupation'. Teachers do not take their duty only asa paid occupation' because they not only teach but they inspire, they ignite hope, they instill imagination and implant the love for learning. From time immemorial the teacher is thus looked upon as an embodiment of perfection. Whenever we unfold the memories of our own education we always remember the teachers we had. We seldom remember the curriculum or the system of education we followed, the quality of the teaching equipments that were used or the comfort of the chairs on which we were seated. Teachers are the ones who leave an eternal imprint on the minds of their students.
As these thoughts about the noble profession allude our minds there are some unanswered questions that may create a storm inside. Does the modern world still harbor the same opinion about teachers? Is the education system still designed as a tool for an overall development of the students? Do the teachers still affect eternity? Do the youth of today remember their teachers as a source of inspiration? Or did the noble profession really get degraded to the wordprofession' which only meansa paid occupation? While searching answers to these questions the truth that unveils is that education has turned into a mere business today. Syllabus is designed by the ones who want to divide the society on the basis of religion, caste and creed. Education system is enslaved by the greedy capitalist encroachers. The students are taught to be rich in the material sense while the values are deteriorating. As a result, as the literacy rate is rising in the world there is a sharp rise in the crime rate too. The intention of education has further being reduced to a means of gaining employment alone. Naturally values and morals have taken the backbench. Corruption has started erupting in the minds of the teachers and they too have started equating this profession to the pay cheques they get.
In olden days when schools used to be one classroom and a single teacher used to impart all the necessary life skills to the students, the students learnt in a system of stringent discipline. Morals and ethics were inculcated in abundance. Literacy was not equated with education. Being a literate did not bring an end to the process of learning. A mere degree did not define the personality of a human being. Education then derived the best out of a child's body, mind a spirit.
Today, while the education system is claiming to be continuously evolving for the betterment, while advanced technology is aiding the learning process and information about any subject is at the fingertips of the new generation, and most importantly while the credibility of this noble profession is at stake, the need of the hour is that teachers should redefine their duties. It should be taken as a responsibility of highest concern. As the saying goesa good teacher should be a learner first', teachers should update their knowledge, learn new methods of teaching and understand the psychology of the modern day child who is widely exposed to all types of vices in the world.
Moreover teachers should not shy off from learning something from the students. Whenever teachers establish a good rapport with the taught, teaching becomes very easy. Moreover, when teachers care about the humanity in general and develop love and passion towards their profession, when they realize that they are role models for children and the children learn more from what they do than from what they say then everything else will fall in its place. Teachers are definitely required to rise beyond imparting information. Information is now found everywhere. They should imbibe in the children the attitude of observing righteousness in their daily life. They should be taught that the values are foundation of human existence, and that they will help them to differentiate between the good and bad. It should be instilled in the students' mind that values make our life meaningful and help us to decide what to do and what to abstain from.
The evolving system of education has increased the workload of teachers. They are burdened with more paper work and data entries. Although the parent community is required to be an integral part of their children's school today, the over-involvement of the parents sometimes hinder the teachers' capacity to accomplish their work with excellence. Education is so much commercialized that a give and take mentality is being developed to such an extent that the approach of the parents and the students towards the system have drastically changed and this has further resulted in deterioration of respect for the teachers.
The society also has a responsibility of nurturing this noble profession. Teachers should be provided with a conducive atmosphere where the best out of them can be extracted. We should never forget that our education lies in the hands of our educators and they should never be taken for granted. Though the education system is facing a continuous evolution and redefinitions, the irrefutable fact is that without well-qualified, caring, and committed teachers, neither improved curriculum and assessments, nor the high standard schools will prepare our future generation to face the challenges in the world and make good use of the opportunities that knock their doors. . Teaching is still the only profession that is shaping the system of education, molding the tender minds and laying the foundation for an excellent future generation.
Happy Teachers' Day!
(The author is the president of Muslim Mahila Sahitya Sangha, Mangaluru)
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