Stand and deliver

JUL 01 -

Having been in the teaching profession for over a decade, it agonising to write on this topic. Nevertheless, facts are facts, and I believe that one should confront them directly as living in a state of denial or sweeping things under the carpet only makes things worse. After all, what is wrong in calling a spade a spade? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration when I say that a teacher is supposed to be a guide, friend and philosopher to human civilisation. There was a time in the past when teachers were held in high esteem for their knowledge, wisdom and intellect. Consider the veneration teachers like Plato and Socrates commanded and still command.

Having said this, however, it is distressing that such lofty ideals have become a thing of the past in the society we live in. Teaching is not any more a noble profession it used to be in the days of yore. It is all too obvious that in the context of Nepal when a person fails to make it in other avenues of employment (the civil service, banks and financial institutions and so forth) he reluctantly ends up as a teacher as a last resort propelled chiefly by economic compulsions. Unfortunately, one becomes a teacher by compulsion not choice.

It is rightly said that educational institutions—schools, colleges and universities—throw light on the state of a society and the country as a whole. I’m sure hardly anybody would disagree with me when I say that the entire educational sector in our country is in a complete mess. Just think about the state of government-run schools, colleges and university. It feels nauseating. The billions of rupees of taxpayer money poured into them by the government notwithstanding, the quality of education has been deteriorating over the years, and educationists are nothing more that silent spectators having neither the vision, devotion, determination, courage or conviction to confront reality and bring about much needed positive changes.

We needn’t go very far. Just look at the SLC and HSBC results from public schools. Thousands of students from public schools fail in the SLC, this in spite of the fact that in recent years, it has been the policy of the SLC Board to detain as few students as possible. When I was at the centre to correct SLC papers this year, some government school teachers frankly admitted that almost nothing much is taught in public schools and advised me to be lenient when marking the exam papers from public schools.

One of my teacher colleagues told me that public school teachers were more liberal than their counterparts in the private sector when allotting marks. But when I asked him if they were equally liberal in their teaching activities, he was absolutely mum. The only instruction one of my friends Santosh Dahal was given while correcting HSEB papers was to be liberal in giving marks to ensure that only a few failed the exam.

The bulk of the teachers in public schools, in spite of the pay, perks and retirement benefits they are provided, have failed to deliver. I presume that the job security they enjoy being in government service allows them the liberty to continue with their free and easy ways. Hardly any government school teacher ever enrols his child in a public school. This is itself a testimony, a frank admission to the miserable quality of teaching in public schools.

Teachers are always vocal about their rights, and do not hesitate to shut down schools and take to the street to press their demands, whether right or wrong. But about their responsibilities and the failure to deliver, most teachers are silent. Just recollect the way teachers threatened to disrupt the SLC and HSBC examinations and the stern warning of dire consequences from the education minister. Putting aside the notion of fairness and justice, teachers appointed on the basis of their political affiliation, nepotism and favouritism hold the entire educational system to ransom by demanding outright permanent status without competition.

We teachers are never tired of complaining that many students are disruptive in class, that studies do not figure in the list of their priorities, that they are more obsessed with fashion, mobile phones and Facebook, and that many students are becoming increasingly inclined towards using unfair means during exams. We seldom care to examine our shortcomings. All that most of us do in the classroom in the name of teaching is teach the students to cram, rehearse and vomit in the exam. The extent of decay and decadence is all too obvious.

In the not too distant past, examinations were conducted in the right spirit. Cheating, malpractices or using any unfair means in the examination were very rare. But now, thanks mainly to teachers, they have become a routine affair and an indispensable part of our examination system. All these are very much tolerated. At many exam centres, the SLC and HSBC exams have become a farce. If teachers remain silent spectators in the face of such malpractices, my only advice is to spare teachers from all invigilation duties!   

It is distressing that the collective commitment of teachers to their profession does not live up to expectations. On many counts, teachers have failed to deliver contrary to what is expected of them. This puts in jeopardy the wellbeing of our entire country for the failure of teachers is not merely the failure of individuals.

It is the failure of society at large for teaching is the foundation which creates all other professions.  When the pillars crack and crumble, the entire structure falls apart like a house of cards. Bad teachers cost more than anything else to society.

Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/01/oped/stand-and-deliver/356433/