Teachers and Teacher's Training

Teachers as agents of social change, they have the ability to make or break a students life

Why this enquiry into the mode of teaching as a participation, as an intervention into the world? Perhaps the simplest and obvious answer is that no society can do away with teaching because it is so closely linked with the reproduction of society— the learning of culture, tradition, knowledge and skill. As a result, it is important to know how teachers are seen and how they find themselves in a rapidly changing society. increasing irrelevance of degrees, the growing incompatibility between the class room and the larger world and a faulty  system leading to the culture of mass copying and note books— there is, in fact, nothing substantial to enhance the prestige of teaching as a vocation. No teacher can escape this social construction. In his everyday interaction with his students a teacher can feel how he is being perceived by the larger society. Although exceptions do exist even today, it would not be wrong to say that for students who internalize the dominant societal ethos their teachers symbolize failure. Because society tells them to believe that their teachers are engaged in an activity that has got nothing; neither money nor power. Again, for many, nobody chooses teaching voluntarily; one is forced into it because one has not been able to manage a better job!- On Teachers and Teaching, AVIJIT PATHAK, Mainstream, 09/04/1994, [J.ELDOC.N00.09apr94MNS.pdf]

The irony is that in a country that reels under unemployment, teaching jobs remain vacant due to government inefficiency and when they are occupied; the teachers  remain uncommitted....

 

Several surveys in recent years have put forward a rosy picture of the state of elementary education in Uttar Pradesh. Most show schools in UP as brimming with children; but they also refer to the grim shortage of teachers. These surveys include those conducted by the HRD, NCERT as well as other semi-government surveys such as the NSSO, Census of India and the NFHS. India Today's survey of Indian states projects Uttar Pradesh along with three other Indian states, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as being able to bring down the level of illiteracy between 2001 and 2020. The National Institute of Educational Planning and Assessment (NIEPA) recently released its report based on the District Information System for Education. The survey also covered all 70 districts of UP.Till the early 1990s, the most striking weakness of the schooling system in rural Uttar Pradesh was not so much the deficiency of physical infrastructure as the poor functioning of existing facilities and the other problem was endemic teacher absenteeism and shirking.- Uttar Pradesh - Wanted: School Teachers, Economic & Political Weekly, 14/08/2004, [J.ELDOC.N21.140804EPW3661.html]

THE government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education for all) is in serious trouble. Many places have no schools and many schools have no teachers. A recent report in this paper shows that most states have failed dismally to reach their teacher-appointment targets for 2003-04.


Bihar's achievement was 0%, despite which Laloo Yadav won the election handsomely.


The achieve-ment of teacher-appointment targets was just 21 % in West Bengal and 22% in UP.
It was best in Orissa (79%) and Jharkand (69%) where appointments were decentralised to the panchayat or community level. In Bihar, power remains tightly centralised and that militates against flexi-ble hiring.


This drives home the need to decentralise education. Ideally panchayats and communities should have the authority and funds to hire, pay and fire teachers. That alone will ensure accountability to the community and end the current scandalous state of education where teacher absenteeism can be as high as 40 %.


...Many opted for para-teachers appointed by panchayats rather than regulars. The ostensi-ble reason was to increase accountability and reduce tea-cher absenteeism, but a more compelling reason was bank-ruptcy. Para-teachers are not state government employees, and so can be paid a tiny fraction of government teachers' salaries. True, they cannot provide high-quality education, yet some education is better than none. But as long as they are appointed by state governments, they can always claim and get parity with regular teachers. To prevent this,they must be appointed by panchayats, not state governments- Teachers day out Give Panchayats Right To Hire & Fire, Economic Times, 30/06/2004 [C.ELDOC.N20.30june04et1.pdf ]

The Minister, who had a dig at teachers and their unions on a few occasions for not . meeting the aspirations of the Government, said the unions were not responding to social problems. They addressed only the problems of their community. He also criticised individual teachers for not discharging their duties with commitment. Pupils were observing the situation and the day was not far when they would get a dressing down in villages. On the poor results at Government schools, Mr. Srihari said it had much to do with the teachers' commitment. Teachers at private institutions who were less qualified and experienced worked harder and secured good results for their institutions while Government schools, where the infrastructure and trained manpower was qualitatively better, returned poor results due to the indifferent attitude of teachers. The teachers did not even try to check the drop-out rate.- School syllabus revision next year, Hindu, 17/12/2000, [C.ELDOC.N22.17dec00h1.pdf]

The vacant teacher posts and delay in appointment of sikhya sahayaks have landed primary education in the district in a mess. With the final examinations three months away, the students are apprehensive that the courses may not be completed in time to enable them to prepare for the examination. While about 3,000 teacher posts in Koraput and Nabarangpur districts are lying vacant since long, redeployment of about 2000 sikhya sahayaks has been inordinately delayed.- Primary education in doldrums: 3000 teacher posts vacant in districts, New India press, 16/12/2004, [C.ELDOC.N21.16dec04nie5.html]

Causes for this could be because of the low dignity we attach to this profession by paying dismal salaries

Providing universal access to education while seeking to manage teacher costs is a tough balancing act for most developing nations. While several innovative programmes have been deployed by both developed and developing nations, the requirement of more teachers has become a special imperative. To manage costs, countries have adopted a combination of methods that include a flexible salary structure and effective teacher utilisation. However, for the world to benefit universally from such learning experiences, it becomes vital that such strategies must be systematically shared and analysed by all countries. -  Managing School Teacher Costs for Access and Quality in Developing Countries - A Comparative  Analysis, SANTOSH MEHROTRA, PETER BUCKLAND, Economic & Political Weekly, 08/12/2001, [J.ELDOC.N00.08dec01EPW.pdf ]

The central paradox of policy on higher education since 1985 resides in the two opposed stipulations that policy-makers
have wished to impose on the country's teachers: acquire degree after degree, eligibility after eligibility, if any career advancement is desired; simultaneously, learn to jettison all pretensions to thinking.It is in line with this mindset that the UGCPay Review Committee, 1997, makes its recommendations. Its exertions in pursuit of the goal of drawing the 'best talent' to teaching follow along three axes: (a) diminish teaching to a rung below bureaucrat, banker, executive and other educated services; (b) require spiralling eligibility, but take away every necessary input to excellence; and (c) regulate and regiment teachers into subservience.- Rastogi Committee Pay Structure: Disincentives Reinforced, T Ravi Kumar Badri Raina, Economic & Political Weekly, 02/08/1997, /eldoc/n00_/02aug97EPW.pdf

Teaching is the only occupation where an individual is eligible for a mere two promotions in the entire career span of 35-40 years, when equivalent jobs in the government, requiring lesser qualifications, offer at least five to six promotions. - The recent UGC directives, T. RAVI KUMAR, Hindu, 10/09/2002, [C.ELDOC.N90.recent_ugc_directives.html]

Teachers' Salary Scales Case for a Fresh Look, Amrik Singh, Economic & Political Weekly,  07/01/1995,  [J.ELDOC.N00.07jan95EPW.pdf]

  Unpaid state teachers beg, starve, despair, Shweta Shertukde, Asian Age, 26/07/2004

India Education Report, Govinda, R, Oxford University Press, 01/01/2002, [B.N21.G.1].
- Status of Elementary Teachers in India – A Review by AS Seetharamu Ch 14 - pg 190- 201
- Educating the Educators- review of primary teacher training by C Sheshadri Ch 15 - pg 202- 217

Selected Educatonal Statistics 2002-2003 (As on 30th September, 2002), Government of India, 01/01/2004, [R.N00.32]

Public Report on Basic Education in India, Oxford University Press, 01/01/1999, [R. N21.P.1],
- Teachers and Society Ch 5 pg 53-67

National Policy on Education 1986 - Programme of Action 1992, Government of India, [R.N00.33],
- Teachers and Their Training Ch22 pg 109-111

 Science education/ HSTP  Teaching Methodology  NGO Initiative
- Looking back To the Future - A Triannual Report of the Eklavya Foundation for the years 1998-2001, Eklavya Foundation, 01/12/2001, [R.N20.5]

7. Govt schemes and programmes DPEP  Barefoot Teachers
- Reaching Out Further: Para Teachers in Primary Education: An Overview, Educational Consultants India Ltd., DPEP, 01/01/1998, [R.N21.17]

8. Education and Social Change
- Teachers as Transformers: Learning from Outstanding Primary School Teachers, Joshi, Samir D, UNICEF, 01/01/1998, [R.N21.16]

9. - Teachers And The Economy, Teachers Action Collective, [R.N90.1]

- Handbook on Training Methods, 01/02/2001, [R.N31.12]

11. - Manual For Training of Preraks, Directorate of Adult Education, 01/02/2001,[ R.N31.11]

12. Sixth All India Educational Survey, Main Report, - Ch. 7. Teachers, JK Gupta pg. 69  NCERT, 1999,

13. School Focussed, Content Specific Teacher Education Programme, Dr. Rashmi Sinha, Learning conference 2004, MHRD and Azim Premji foundation- Teachers- [R.N21.24]

1.Education Philosophy Teaching Methodology
- The Testament of an Inspired Teacher, Ashton-Warner, Sylvia, 01/01/1963, [B.N00.A5]

2. - “Teacher Education: Objectives, Problems and Recommendations” Ch 9 p.g. 125-130

3. A National Agenda for Education, Joshi, Kireet, 01/01/2000, [B.N20.J3],
-  “Teacher Education: Objectives, Problems and Recommendations” Ch 9 p.g. 125-130

4. - Letter to a Teacher by the School of Barbiana, Rossi, Nora, Sahitya Chayan, 01/04/1992, [B.N90.R1],

5. - Teachers in Control: Cracking the Code, Powell, Martin & Solity, Jonathan, Routledge, 01/01/1990, [B.N90.P1]

6. - Education for all: A Graphic Presentation (Second Edition), Tyagi, P N, NIEPA, 01/06/1994,[ B.N00.T3]
-  “Teachers” Ch 5 pg 81-91

7. The Hindu Speaks on Education, Part 4 Teachers and Teaching,  Kasturi and Sons, 1997, [B.N00.H13]

Websites:
http://www.ncte-in.org/index.asp

 The (AP ) Minister (for primary Education, Mr Kadiam Srihari)  emphasised that 30 instructional days were lost in the counselling for teachers' transfer. It was desired that no further time was lost in the matter. At the same time, the Government did not favour cancellation of the transfer orders. They will be in force even after the academic year. The budget releases of the Education Department were computerised and it was the intention of the Government to disburse the staff salaries on the last day of the month, Mr. Srihari said.

The Minister, who had a dig at teachers and their unions on a few occasions for not  meeting the aspirations of the Government, said the unions were not responding to social problems. They addressed only the problems of their community. He also criticised individual teachers for not discharging their duties with commitment. Pupils were observing the situation and the day was not far when they would get a dressing down in villages. On the poor results at Government schools, Mr. Srihari said it had much to do with the teachers' commitment. Teachers at private institutions who were less qualified and experienced worked harder and secured good results for their institutions while Government schools, where the infrastructure and trained manpower was qualitatively better, returned poor results due to the indifferent attitude of teachers. The teachers did not even try to check the drop-out rate.
The Minister maintained that a massive movement aimed at education for all by 2005 was on, and called upon teachers to make the mission a success. Prof. G. Haragopal of the University of Hyderabad, speaking on education and democracy, said never in history was there democracy in education nor education in a democratic set- up. School syllabus revision next year, The Hindu, 17/12/2000, [C.ELDOC.N22.17dec00h1.pdf]

Non-Scholae Sed Vitaeus Docemus - teach not for school, but for life.

Ethics in education implies remediation of the disabilities, maladies, illnesses and flaws in the systern. It is unethical as a professional, to be the on-looker, a passer-by, indifferent, unmoved and uncompassionate! educators are the ''bridge-builders," so to say. Following are some steps to weave ethics into our educational fabric:
• Concept of education to be spelt out correctly to the charioteer of the process  the 'teacher' - at all levels of the educational organisation or edifice. "The essence of education lies in drawing out the very best in you and me." Teacher and student should have cordial relations, You have touched me, I have grown! - kind of a bond.
• Teacher should be resourceful not remorseful, should be a human resource developer, not a human-resource diminisher. How do we achieve this? Select teachers with a "human" heart and then develop their potentials.
• Teacher is the seed-corn agent of developing human potential, student is the seed to grow from sapling to plant to tree. Education should be child-centered, not teacher-centered. Learning-by-doing makes joyful learning and teachers can take care of large numbers.
Monetary benefits for the educators should be professional, at par with other 'professions', so that result-oriented, target- output accountability can be demanded as in management or other industrial professions..

As a teacher and counsellor, I am satisfied with my right choice of a career. I know, as a teacher, I am privileged to make my students face eternity. I am a social awakener! An epitaph I would like to present to my teachers, who made me what I am today:
"Your teaching was like a fragrance that permeated my daily-life. The perfume still lingers !  

Shailaja Mulay is a Mumbai-based teacher - counsellor and education consultant. AARATI - - Rectifying Pitfalls, Shailaja Mulay, Humanscape, 01/01/1998, [J.ELDOC.N00.01jan98HUS2.pdf]

 

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