Who wants to be a teacher

In a society where we are taught that the ‘guru’ or the teacher is god, we have reduced teaching to a mere profession that is no longer treated with the respect and reverence that it deserves. In the era of the right to education, there is much to be debated and much to be done as we go along.

Imparting education to one and all will need a committed and dedicated effort from all segments of our society. And more so, from our teachers. But do we have the teachers who can do this for us? Perhaps, this is the biggest worry of our HRD minister. The need for good and capable teachers could never be bigger than what it is today. Do we have them? Can we create them?

Without meaning any offence to our teachers, teaching as a profession doesn’t attract the most bright and capable. It is known that students who have other choices don’t want to make their careers in teaching because it is neither monetarily attractive, nor does it offer the challenge that other professions do. The general thinking is, if they did, it will be more of social work than a choice in normal course.

Teachers are also responsible for the current state of affairs. We keep witnessing instances where teachers have stooped so low and breached the trust placed on them, often disregarding the moral values and causing irrepairable damage to the general demeanor of a teacher. How unfortunate is such a society? Teachers, not only should act morally, but they also should conduct themselves in a manner that they appear moral and as role models to others.

In a country where 93% education is imparted by Government Schools, it would be difficult for the HRD minister to get the new generation to agree to become teachers in schools that lack basic infrastructure, integrity and discipline and are governed by set of rules that have never kept pace with changing face of India.

When we set ourselves to bring a big change or transformation, we must have a deep appreciation of the constraints and factors that can fail us. The lack of good teachers can be one of them and can dampen our enthusiasm. It time to take the right steps and make an effort to change the image of teachers in our society, make the profession more challenging and rewarding both monetarily and philosophically and make it a career of choice and not an altruistic act of social work.

With the Right to Education Act, a new era begins. In the uphill task of ensuring every child enjoys this right, the role of the society is immense and deep. The Minister of HRD rightly points out that unless the society acts, demands and questions, any such transformation will not bring the desired results.