As per a survey conducted in American schools, 80 per cent teachers reported being victimised at least once within the current or past school year. India also has its fair share of a history of crimes against teachers. Violence directed at them is not publicised considering the widespread implications on profession, student learning and overall peace of the academic environment. While there is too much importance given to students’ safety in schools, there are hardly any measures taken to protect the teachers.
The ancient Indian system of education considered teacher, the guru as God, and even the religious texts alluded to it. They were looked upon with much respect as an ideal person, possessing academic and moral knowledge in the social hierarchy. But, in today’s “civilised” world, their roles in our lives have drastically changed with time.
With Internet replacing teachers as the chief source of information, students have started taking them for granted. They however need to understand the difference between nformation and education. While technology has opened up several avenues, they are unable to make the right choice or sift through the information provided.
The continuous rise in the number of students per class results in teachers struggling to keep control of a classroom. Students misuse technology, to an extent that they ruin a teacher’s reputation with the help of social media platforms. In many countries, it has become harder for governments to persuade individuals to join the teaching profession. A significant reason for this is the tremendous pressure that comes from feeling powerless and incapable to control.
With the introduction of new methodologies, different methods of teaching and models of assessment and technology, personalisation of education and differentiated teaching, teachers today do not have a clue about their status or role in the educational hierarchy.
The Right to Education Act mandates that no child below Class VIII is to be detained. Certain rules such as not failing a student, not punishing them for doing something wrong are disturbing the teaching techniques and making it difficult to maintain discipline.The current politicisation of public education system has portrayed teachers in a more negative light.
With new and improved system, teachers are always loaded with additional work. These days their work isn’t limited just to teaching, they need to create test and exam papers, check answer sheets, help in organising various school functions and fetes, deal with the parents and resolve their issues, maintain discipline, etc. Quite often, their working hours fall short for all these responsibilities. Despite all this hard work, teaching, as a profession, is undervalued, especially in terms of money. Gone are the days when only those who had flair for teaching were opted for the profession.
Next to parents, teachers bear the responsibility to shape the young minds. However, the profession is slowly losing out its hallowed status due to a mass public criticism based on a few unfortunate incidents. On the other hand, nobody observes the plight of the teachers and help them move out of this suffocating space. It is high time that we start recognising the difficulty of their tasks and overhaul our shallow perspectives to realise their immense contribution towards nation-building.
The writer is founder and chief executive officer, Edunuts.