TEACHERS’ Day is a celebration of the contribution of educators in moulding Indian society and developing young minds in the country. The birth anniversary of former President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan is observed on September 5 as Teachers’ Day. This year arrangements were made to telecast Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to all schools urging students to stay back after school time. The HRD ministry said that it was optional for students to listen to the speech. But the reality was far from it. A directive was issued to all schools to enable students to view the telecast. The number of schools which arranged viewing of the telecast was monitored and the students were made to say what was emphasized by the Prime Minister. It was in fact a political diktat, reeking of the old system which made students acquire knowledge dished out to them under compulsion. Politicizing of education seems to have been made more dictatorial.
Recently the UGC tried to force IITs to conform to its norms and suffer a curtailment of autonomy.UGC diktats have led to the closure of many four year course colleges. Indian education should be encouraged to foster diversity, choice, autonomy and freedom to experiment. Students, teachers and educational institutions should follow this unhampered route. The focus should be on reform and greater autonomy. Patronage culture should be eliminated. Students will then be able to inculcate the power of thinking critically and nurture job skills. That would give them a suitable place in the economic development of the country. Besides, that will enable the country to benefit from the huge size of its young population. At the same time, teacher should go through an orientation programme to change their attitude to girl students.
