The global meltdown may have hit India, but one sector that has weathered the storm so far is school education. It does not take an Amartya Sen to figure out why. Simply put, demand far exceeds supply. No other country perhaps displays such a wide range of schools within the system. There is the government sector with its municipal schools, kendriya vidyalayas, navodaya vidyalayas and what-have-you. Then there is the non-government sector with its ‘playschools’ in larger cities, missionary schools, top-end private schools and old, venerable ‘public’ schools.
Distinct as these systems are from each other, they all have one thing in common. They are desperately crying out for teachers. We may have our periodic glut of doctors, engineers, MBAs and IT professionals, but we never seem to have enough teachers. Though everyone knows the bedrock of any nation is the education it imparts to its children, no one is unduly concerned about this glaring lacuna. Little wonder we pay a heavy price in terms of the quality of our leadership!
This pitiful state of affairs has much to do with the way we, as a nation, view the teaching profession. Teachers are not considered frontline ‘professionals’ in the same manner as, say, doctors, lawyers or engineers. It is believed that anyone irrespective of qualifications or training can teach. And that is exactly what happens. From the village schoolmaster who could be a labour contractor (teaching when time permits) to the bored or ‘desperate’ (for money) urban housewife, teaching is open to all. Add the fact that it is a relatively poorly paid profession, and you have a deadly mix. Teaching then generally becomes the domain of the ‘bored’ or ‘failed’ individual. This is not to suggest that we do not have some of the world’s finest teachers. Ranging from NGOs to private schools, we have some extremely competent and motivated teachers. But when you consider India’s billion-plus population, their number appears disappointing, to say the least.
Another area of concern is the dwindling number of men in the profession. It seems all the men r at least those who could make it) have hopped off to greener pastures. Apart from the exodus to the Mideast, the IT sector more recently has claimed a large number. While women do make great teachers, they also have the role of homemaker to fulfil. Being a teacher for a woman is not quite as professional as, say, being a corporate executive. And the men who remain have largely embedded themselves in the tuition market, as opposed to being genuine mentors as schoolteachers.
On top of this macro-picture of a poor catchment area, there are other micro issues. There are no top-of-the-line teacher training establishments, certainly not one of the stature of a St Stephen’s and an IIT or IIM. What we do have is a plethora of ‘fly-by-night’ B.Ed courses, in most cases not worth the paper the degree is printed on. Nothing in the higher education scenario will attract bright young boys and girls to enrol for a teacher-training course. Yet all we can do is to talk of increasing the number of IITs and IIMs!
Career growth in the profession is also very slow. Surprisingly, not too many teachers today aspire to be principals. Women feel it puts too much strain on their role as homemakers; men feel the seat is not worth the trouble it brings. Moreover, the system does not provide for any systematic grooming of principals. Most are there either by accident or as ‘teachers on promotion’, certainly not as a result of some long-term scientific plan. So where does one go as a teacher? Becoming a head of department may well be the end of the road for most. Surely not the most attractive option for an ambitious, talented youngster?
The profession itself suffers from a sense of low self-esteem. Teachers do not see themselves in the same category as lawyers, doctors, civil servants or engineers. They are almost apologetic about being teachers. Gone are the days of the ‘guru-chela’ relationship. Parents today are quite aggressive in their criticism of schools and teachers. Children take the cue from their parents. In the face of such aggression, teachers who already see themselves at the bottom of the food chain are put under further pressure. The irony is that they are still supposed to be the epitome of all that is noble and good!
A redefinition of our attitude to the profession and a fresh look at issues like teacher growth and training are required. I can never forget an incident when i was headmaster of one of the country’s oldest public schools. A parent had come (in a rather fancy car) to pick up his son at the beginning of the holidays. As father and son got into the car, his final words of advice while pointing at the boy’s housemaster were: ‘‘Son, you’d better study hard or else, you will end up like him!’’ Thereby hangs a tale.
The writer is principal, Welham Boys School, Dehradun.