A Teacher -“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.”

Though not yet promoted to the status of a face book addict, I do open my account quite a few times during the day to catch up with my friends and former students. Normally I sweep my eyes over all the  statuses that are put up ! I remember in the beginning I used to be a little shocked that all of them put their emotions on exhibit but now I have got used to it. In fact I have realised that I am in touch with many more people because of this. It’s a good psychological medicine especially for people like me who are away from home and extended family. It’s good to see someone bother when you are down and there are umpteen people to cheer you up!

Yesterday while randomly doing my accounts, my g talk pinged and one of my erstwhile TTs (Now no longer a teenager!) asked me to urgently check the video that he had posted on my wall (Face book wall that is!). I of course never take anything seriously but anyway went to check it out..... It was a short video on a teacher teaching English..... I really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and then my mind elected to go into the doldrums! I had a long conversation with this young person where I had to dodge the home truths that he flung at me! He accused me of “leading a high flying life” while the country had this standard of teaching! Where was my sense of responsibility? Where was my conscience? Where was the passion that I had? And innumerable questions and here I was not able to parry even one of them effectively!

I know that there are pages written about the noble profession of being a teacher and the responsibility and respect that it carries. Having been a teacher for a short part of my life I do know it’s extremely satisfying and it gives back a lot (in the intangible sense) more than what you give it. When I decided to give it up formally it was more due to the fact that there is a lot of politics (I hate it!) involved in this industry rather than teaching! Having shifted from  the smaller city of Hyderabad to Mumbai I realised that education in the big metropolis was more about business and less about the  teaching- learning process and thus to avoid the frustration and also due to the fact that I was not keeping too well and other family reasons I gave it up. (Escaping from my responsibilities!)

When I see my students on face book now, it’s very gratifying. Most of them are successful young adults and it adds to the feel-good factor that maybe I was responsible for five percent of their success (again maybe many will dispute this figure!) But this video really jolted me awake! I am of course aware that teaching is one of the most poorly paid professions all over the world and thus only people who are desperate for a job opt for this, especially in our country ( I am speaking of school teachers) This particular field does not attract the best candidates neither in quality nor in dedication. At the end of the day you want to be able to provide for your family! Even in big cities most teachers are bored housewives who find this a way to build up their social lives and have some pocket money besides! You will also find that the majority of school teachers are females and the small percentage of men that are there is because they could not find a better profession.

The video that I saw was pathetic! I wonder how the young lady must be feeling now when she sees herself making gaffe after gaffe in the whole film- I feel sorry for her and for the little ones that she is teaching. It’s not her fault, it’s ours! We are a democratic country yet we turn a blind eye to the procedure of recruiting teachers. I know that many people get a teachers certificate from fraudulent universities by paying a large amount of money. They have never been trained neither have they studied the subjects that they ultimately teach- as is proved by the video! The contrast in the quality of education is really really wretched! We have on one hand the IITs and the AIIMS and the IIMs all providing the best possible education and on the other hand this particular cameo of a teaching disaster!

India is a great country not because it’s successful but because it’s successful in spite of all the handicaps that beset it and teachers in the primary level are the leading reasons for this handicap! 

 I do not know the intention of the person who took the video and put it up but I do know that most people watch it to have a good laugh (this adds to the number of hits that the video gets!) but I think it’s a wakeup call for our educators to have a small revolution and weed out the corruption that besets this wonderful professions.

How, is the question? At the beginning by removing the red tapism that has wrapped and mummified this calling, then by giving it a competitive salary, then by giving it the respect that it deserves so that the best are attracted towards it. I am sure if the wise men and women put their heads together something would come out of it. India is developing very fast we have innumerable international schools springing up around the country to provide quality education. Clean air-conditioned environments and the state of art library and classrooms only serve to accentuate the cruel difference in the status between the rich and the poor!

I do not want to debate whether this should be happening or not. All parents want their children to have the best possible education they can afford and it would be hypocritical to ask them not do so and give the extra money to the government so that it can improve the quality of education! The government can if it wants to (The Kendriya Vidyalayas are a great example of this) really set up standards but........

I know I will (Like I was yesterday) be asked what I am doing about it. As yet nothing other than wallow in guilt for a period of time and then who knows I might be able to prod this lethargic brain to do something worthwhile!

The big sounding words like social responsibilities. Community service, knowledge enhancement are used by all NGOs but what actually is being done is a matter of conjecture!

Words have been powerful weapons of a revolution through the annals of history will this pitiful offering change the mind of one reader to do something? Will it make me do something? Will it make the..... Do something?

DO is the magic word here!