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Friday, September 5, 2008

Guru vandana

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Guru vandana

Teaching is one of the noblest of callings. A great teacher not only imparts knowledge, but also wisdom. This is particularly true of school-teachers, who catch their wards at the most impressionable phase of their lives. Through classroom instructions as well as personal conduct and behaviour, a good teacher can mould minds and shape lives. Most individuals who have attended schools and other educational institutions can recall teachers of their salad days who left an indelible imprint upon them. Thus teaching requires the kind of passionate commitment needed by very few other professions. Unfortunately, the role and objective of the teacher has been gradually changing with the passage of time and the earlier sheen has rubbed off from the calling. A majority of teachers today take to teaching purely as a means of earning a livelihood, rather than as a mission in life. Many treat teaching as a temporary vocation till better jobs can be found. Moreover, objectives too have changed. Present day youngsters are caught in a vicious, competitive web where academic results rather than all round accomplishments count. Thus most teachers are compelled into imparting result-based instructions rather than attempting value-based education. A surfeit of coaching institutions and private tutoring has further devalued the status of the teacher, so much so that occasionally, in the eyes of youngsters, these appear to be more significant than the academic institutions they study in.

Politicians may spout platitudes to the contrary on occasions such as Teacher’s Day, but there appears no light at the end of tunnel as far as deterioration of the image of the teacher is concerned. Education has become big business in the private sector, with teachers being merely minor cogs in mammoth, well-oiled machines. True, the Government has in recent years tried to enhance salaries and emoluments of teachers in public academic institutions. But, given the salaries offered in other professions, whatever enhancement effected so far is not enough. The sober truth is that even good teachers can give their best only in a conducive environment. It is the duty of the administration to ensure that such an environment is created in academic institutions, greater facilities provided for quality education and economic security ensured for teachers. There is also a need for change in public perception towards the profession, and the media has to do its part in effecting such a change. However, in the final analysis, the onus of enhancing the image of the teacher rests upon the teachers themselves. They have to desist from unethical activities such as neglecting classroom teaching in order to boost earnings through private tuition. They too have to bear in mind that education and politics do not mix. Unless the teaching community emerges as social role-models, the age old tradition of chanting guru vandana might well become a thing of the past. source: assam tribune editorial 05.09.08

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