The Teachers Day
The Teachers Day – 5th September
President, All India Consumers Council, Uttarakhand
Teaching, literally means imparting knowledge or skill with such love and care that it inspires in the recipient a confidence to make that knowledge one’s own and stand on one’s own feet to go ahead. Normally, teaching is associated with schools and colleges and those who teach there are known as teachers. On ‘Teachers Day’ all students assemble and honour their teachers to show their love, respect and regards.
Bharat Ratna Sarvepalli Dr. Radhakrishnan, the former President of India (1962-67), was a great scholar, philosopher, writer and a statesman and above all a great teacher. It is no wonder that his birthday – 5th September is celebrated as teachers day through out the Country. It imbibes in students a spirit of love and respect for their teachers and they express all their feelings by arranging various functions to honour their teachers with flowers and other presents. This day is celebrated with great enthusiasm and teachers too, bless students and suitably advise them for their future success. It is a treat to watch as the students and teachers dress up smartly and go to schools or other entertainment places with gaiety and enthusiasm.
The role of a teacher is played by different people at different times and it keeps on shifting as we grow up. Initially mother plays the role of grooming and teaching and father and other members of the family assist her till one comes to the stage to go to school and learn independently. At home, the child learns all the chores which people at home perform in their day to day life. The mother, who plays a key role in teaching, keeps a strict watch on the activities and keeps on guiding the child so that the child picks up correct things and is not swayed by the people around in the family who out of their love and affection and in order to create some fun, tell children things which are contrary to the normal practice. Since children are quick to learn and pick up those things first which are contrary to the rules. They enjoy doing those antics. This is the stage of transformation where utmost care has to be given by the parents, specially mothers, so that the child may not pick up undesired elements.
The most difficult role of a teacher is to manage students in Play Group when they have their first encounter with school and other children and unknowingly do so many things which the teacher has to either stop or encourage and define what they are and how to perform or prevent those. It is really a difficult task Then come LKG and KG classes where the real teaching through books start and the students come to know of what the school means and what is learning. They do not forget through out their life what they learn during these early stages and always remember the teachers by name.
Teaching is a noble profession which grooms everyone from birth till death in one or the other form. The role of a teacher is played by different people at different times and it keeps on shifting as we grow. It is a hard work which needs dedication, devotion and sacrifice to imbibe in students a spirit to learn. The tendency these days in students is to learn only that much which is sufficient to score more marks or needed to score better in professional examinations. At times teachers too get swayed in the urge of students to learn for their careers alone and limit their teaching accordingly. This has generated in some teachers a tendency to make more money in the process by taking tuitions after school/college hours.
There was a time when teachers were being paid less than their other counterparts in society but the introduction of University Grants Commission scales they are now rather better off than others. Well there are some schools which are not paying as much as they should but most of the standard public schools and Govt. schools and colleges are being paid better scales, so far as I know. There is no wonder that the public expects from teachers little more devotion and dedication to consider the welfare of the society as well over and above their other responsibilities. They must teach students so that they come out of the institutes as completely educated persons and attain capability to stand on their feet and take the challenges boldly.
The tuitions, other than within schools / colleges, should be stopped. The craze to score marks by taking tuitions should go and teachers should refuse such coaching to bring an atmosphere where there is no tension in mind of students to score more marks to get admission in a particular institutes. The students should thus get more time for games/ sports and other extracurricular activities so that they come out of the Institutes as completely educated person.
The teachers must ensure that the students study in an atmosphere which is quiet and learn how to tackle and solve problems peacefully. These days students get agitated on minor issues and indulge in acts which are contrary to norms laid down. Breaking of furniture and other articles of use in rage or setting on fire buildings or buses, railways and other public conveniences, is nothing but indiscipline and needs to be stopped forthwith. Probably, teachers can imbibe in them the spirit to desist from such ugly practices which are not only harmful to the society but to the whole Nation. The progress made by the country after so much of hard work and spending so much of money and resources gets reversed by many years when such incidents of arson and damage to property take place. It is pity that our so called educated persons indulge in those affairs without paying any attention to the country.
The spirit of Nationalism needs to be revived in students, which can be best done by the teachers alone. They are capable of doing so and have done it earlier also. So, on this teachers day I invoke the soul and spirit of teachers to take up this onerous task of building Nation by transforming students into true nationalists. The teachers played a very big role during our country’s Freedom Movement and I am sure that they will play another such stellar role to build the Nation again. It is the requirement of the time as India is young on a much younger age group than most of the counties of the world and these youngsters can be moulded by the teachers alone.
Let us hope that old traditional ways of teaching and learning will be revived to bring spirituality and nationalism.
