By Uma Purkayastha
‘Teachers’ Day’ is meant to be observed as a day for paying tributes and salutations to teacher for their humanitarian services to the society. The main architect of Teachers’ Day was Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan the second President of India (1962-1967), a great educator cum philosopher, who was also a very successful teacher.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888. In 1962, when he became the President of India, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday but he replied, “Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers’ Day.” The proposal was accepted by the Government of India, and since 1962, ‘Teachers Day’ is being observed all over India on September 5 every year, to pay tribute to the great teacher Dr. Radhakrishnan, as well as to the entire teaching community.
Dr Radhakrishnan, an eminent philosopher and teacher was also a great educational reformer. His message to the teachers and taught was:-
1. Knowledge gives us power, love gives us fullness.
2. Books are the means by which we build bridges between cultures.
3. True teachers are those who help us think for ourselves.
4. The end product of education should be a free, creative person who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature. The great educator also opined that a good teacher should try to equalize his/her mind and soul with the standard of the children, he/she teaches and should read their minds, their likes and dislikes etc., thoroughly to make teaching effective.
He further said, “No subject is dull or hard if the teacher is not dull or hard.” The great educator made these observations over a hundred years ago but the teaching process in our country, and the teacher-student relation is still a top-down one. Teachers expect students to fear and obey them instead of winning them over with love and affection. This results in students disliking school and a good number of them drop out every year! It proves that our teaching system does not resonate with a good percentage of ordinary students who suffer from inferiority complexes and fear psychosis in their schools and wish to escape that predicament. The ultimate result is the moral degradation of society!
Teachers therefore have a major responsibility to save the budding hopes of the nation from dangerous degeneration which is in an alarming situation. In this critical situation teachers are the only saviours who can lead delinquent children from the path of destruction to constructive purposes by applying interesting teaching techniques with love and empathy.
A good teacher can mesmerize even delinquent children by using the best strategies. Where the parents fail, the teacher succeeds, if he/she is able to understand the children’s psychology and has empathy. Teaching is a technical subject and teaching skills are more important than academic qualifications. While a renowned scholar may fail to capture the interest of students, one with minimum qualifications may succeed in breaking through if he can create interest among students.
It is natural for school children to be imperfect at every step because they are still immature. Children are sent to school at the early age to mend their habits, and learn manners, etiquette etc., to be good, future citizens. Unfortunately teachers use the cane to discipline children. While punishment can make students learn from their mistakes but corporal punishment is a poor deterrent.
In the past, the educational reformers have raised their voices against physical punishment and explained how children suffer from fear psychosis and therefore don’t want to go to school. Its not only physical punishment but some teachers inflict mental harassment with their harsh words. This creates a phobia among students which results in school dropouts; and from that frustration they are tempted to dangerous addiction. The society as a whole suffers! Teachers therefore have a significant role to stop children from dropping-out and to help the young generation from the crises they are in today.
‘Teachers Day’ is not only a day for recognising the contributions of teachers but it should also be a day of introspection for teachers as to what they have done for society; what more needs to be done and how to proceed ahead for all round development of the student community and to help the society as a whole. Above all, it is a day to reflect on how to make teaching more lively and interesting to students.
Rabindranath Tagore, from his own childhood experiences said, ‘Due to excessive; pressure of learning multipurpose subjects, and fear of punishment, the children always feel tense and become victims of mental imbalance. They become abnormally rude and peevish, and revolt in trifling matters. Though they learn something, and become educated; but at the cost of their spontaneous gayness’’ [Shikshar Milon]
Hence while teachers are crucial their role is to bring out the best in the child. A good teacher should have sincere feelings and affection for children and only then will they learn. It is a reciprocal process of imparting and grasping knowledge between teachers and the taught. So it is imperative for teachers to maintain an affectionate and loving relationship with students, so that the children could see their parents in their teachers and are tempted to come to school.
For a good teacher, teaching is a sacred service and not a job. It is a service to humanity. Teachers are the builders of generations that would be the future leaders of the country. Hence teachers are also nation builders and should be equally recognised by the people and Government. All teachers, right from Primary Section to the Higher Secondary classes, (not only Government Schools) should be provided with facilities such as medical benefits because they are at par with soldiers who also serve the country. The army protects the country while teachers build the country. Their contributions are equal and they should be equally treated and recognised!
Sadly, the private school teachers retire from service empty handed. They have no retirement benefits or old age allowance and are deprived of proper medical care which they are badly in need of! After dedicating their entire life to teaching they are left high and dry at the most crucial time of their lives. At the very least teachers deserve free medical service. Many teachers who are unmarried and have no caretaker in their old age suffer the most. Is it not the duty of the Government to stand by the builders of the nation at that critical juncture of their lives?
Hence merely delivering long speeches about teachers contribution to the society, and awarding a few teachers are not sufficient to observe ‘Teacher’s Day.’ Just as teachers are advised to be innovative and adopt creative teaching techniques, the Government too should consider giving better facilities for every teacher whether in the Government or private sector so that they should not feel insecure and frustrated after superannuation.
A teacher has no colour, caste or tribe! For a teacher all students are equal and all are treated without prejudice. Similarly when teachers are selected for ‘Teachers Day Award’ that should be because the teacher is deserving of the award irrespective of his/her community. So who is the best judge of a teacher’s talent? The school authorities? The governing body? Honestly speaking students are the best judges of a teacher’s talents. They are the ones who spend the most time with the teacher and can certify how good and efficient or incapable of teaching a teacher is. Sadly this practice is not adopted in our state. Fancy qualifications and degrees are mere ornaments but do not make the teacher a true mentor and counsellor apart from teaching students their subject. Such teachers actually deserve recognition!
Several efficient, retired private school teachers who are still alive have gone into the sunset without being recognised despite their sincerest services to the students. They have retired with nothing. Can such teachers also be recognised by the Government on the auspicious Teachers’ Day?
Teachers’ Day celebrations will be meaningful only when each and every teacher, irrespective is treated equally by the Government with uniformity of pay scale, medical allowance, death cum retirement benefit, old age allowances etc. That will be the best observance of Teachers’ Day. When there is job security many intellectuals will prefer teaching as their future profession. This will enrich the teaching community, and the country as a whole will be highly benefited.
(The writer is Retd. Principal, Govt. Girls’ Higher Secondary School Shillong).