Regain and retain the glory

While talking about the quality of education in the schools we tend to focus on the learning outcomes of the students which is the key to holistic growth in them. But to reach to that goal of learning we need to look into the factors responsible for the desired result. Instinctively, the first thing that comes to the mind is that the children ought to be encouraged and the parents to be motivated about the right of quality education of children, ensuring it’s availability to them. The government has deployed different methods of enhancing the enrolment in the schools. Consequently, we need a good infrastructure and schools should be available to the children in their neighbourhood so that they do not travel long distances, particularly the girls. And to me, the most important issue is recruiting qualified teachers who are motivated to take up this responsibility of nation building in the form of civilised and brave citizens of the country. But unfortunately, this aspect has not been given that serious attention as desired and required. Though there are a large number of teachers` training institutions providing B.ED/M.ED degrees to many in the country but the quality of training provided leaves a lot to ponder and work upon. There are a number of colleges which seem to be distributing degrees at some price(all might be aware of the recent case of Rajasthan which came in public domain and people doubt that there can be many more like this) and providing so called trained teachers. Also the curriculum of the teachers` training institutes does not take account of the transitions in accordance with rapid changes taking place in the field of education. The teachers are not made aware of the challenges to be faced by them due to the digital world in which the child of today is born and brought up. So I strongly believe that if the quality of education is to be improved then the teachers should be well trained and ready to take up this job with enthusiasm and not as a means of earning the bread and butter for self and family. Mr Vinod Mehta quoted in his recent book that when a Principal of a reputed Public School was asked as to why did he get married so late in his life, his answer was that he did not get time to do that while working with the students in his school. This may not be an isolated example, there must have been numerous such examples in the past and there may be many in the present also but yes the quality seems to be deteriorating. The reasons for teachers not being motivated are many and let us try to ponder upon some of them.

Firstly the society, parents, government and teachers themselves should ensure that the teaching profession has the same respect as it had in the past. All will agree that the interest of the students is of paramount importance but at the same time the teachers respect and position should also not be forgotten. They deserve better position in the society than what is given to them in the present times. However, for this condition, the teachers are also equally responsible and they need to change their attitude towards their own profession. This can be done so easily if the government pays more attention towards the quality of the teachers` training colleges and they are provided to learn through the professional development programmes. The teachers would have to be learners first and teachers second. This attitude will help them remain in the quest of fast changing world in the field of education. Also there should be certain ways and methods by which the real teachers could be encouraged so that they become role models for others. For achieving this objective the teachers should also be assessed and evaluated through a standardised process and be taught in the areas in which they might be found lacking. This process should be taken up at national level and should be done objectively, in a transparent manner. The issue of favouritism mainly in the government schools should also be handled firmly. The teachers must not be allowed to have God fathers in the system especially the politicians’ interference in the transfers of the teachers should be done away with. In private schools, the teachers should not feel threatened always and their service conditions should be well defined. They should be paid in accordance with the salary paid to the government school teachers. The service conditions of the teachers are not defined in many private schools and this is undoubtedly an open secret. Regrettably, the teachers are also responsible for their plight because they do not raise their voice for the right cause also. The tuition culture is encouraged by some such schools which do not pay proper salary to their teachers so that they can cover up the loss of the salary paid to them. In this situation many teachers pay more attention to private tuitions than to the school children in the school. There are number of private schools which charge the fee from the students for the entire year but do not pay the salary of summer vacation to the teachers. Such practices must be stopped. If the teachers are looked after well, then most of them would like and enjoy the teaching profession and would not consider this as a burden on themselves.

Another issue to be considered is the quality of in-service training for the teachers. Here also a lot is left t think and do. Many people worry about the quality of training individuals or organisations also. There are not many certified individuals or groups that can be approached by the teachers or the schools to do the needful. Though some people might mention some names but who has given the permission and certificate for training? They may be those individuals who would have retired from their job and took up that as to remain busy and live a healthy life. Some might be interested only to pass time. Even in the training sessions also people talk mostly theoretical or ideal things which may not be suitable for the kind of diverse group of the children we have in this country. As one shoe would never fit all likewise these training programme should be designed, so as to cater to the needs of a diverse population. Proper study should be done regarding what is required by the teachers so that they can be well equipped with all the training provided to them. I should not be misunderstood that there is no quality trainer in the country. There are many good trainers around but the problem is that the schools and the teachers do not have knowledge about real ones because many people have opted to step into such capacity building programmes because of the reasons I mentioned before.

 I strongly request the people in responsible positions to consider this important issue of quality of teachers and quality teachers` training institutes and take corrective measures so that the future of the country is in safe hands and this very noble profession and people involved in the same regain their lost glory and retain it for the good of everyone. The teachers are the ones who play key role in the implementation of any policy on education decided by the government hence they should be treated accordingly. I convey my sincere gratitude to all my teachers as we were blessed with their sacrifices that made us of some worth to the society.