Connect with teachers anytime, anywhere

Online teaching helps create a pool of passionate teachers who love their profession

T eaching is both art and science. It is a profession that not just requires knowledge but also passion and commitment. When there is a balance between these two, it leaves a positive influence on the child’s learning. It’s crucial to building a child’s personality and in creating a healthy and productive learning environment.

The need to uplift the education system in India and create a high-quality, teaching-learning environment is more relevant than ever. Are we doing everything right to achieve this? Are we giving teachers the time, tools and trust to do their job well?  If not, where are we going wrong? And what is that we can do to make it right? Teachers in India face various issues on a regular basis like lack of recognised teacher training institutions, job insecurity, tough work environment, lack of interest in work they once qualified for, undue work pressure and paltry wages as compared with other more sought-after professions.

All these results in high percentage of long-term teacher absenteeism or complete quitting of mainstream teaching by them. Everything boils down to lack of motivation and accountability in the system, leaving students in a lurch. This leads parents to look out for after-school, private coaching for their children in their residential vicinity or sending them to an all-together different cities/states known for popular competitive exam preparatory institutions.

Teaching, sadly, is far from being considered a prestigious career or a profession that draws the best of the lot. Because of these irrational mental blocks in the society, the entire education system suffers lack of self-motivated individuals, creative thinkers and teachers by choice.

There is a dire need to create quality teachers or teachers who love what they are doing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed teachers and students (on the eve of teachers’ day) and raised concerns about dwindling importance of teaching profession. He urged people who have achieved academically to contribute few hours towards teaching students. This could be achieved successfully through online teaching.

Teach at your convenience

Online teaching is a process in which a teacher shares the content with a student or a group of students on a particular subject/topic through the use of technology. It usually involves the use of Web-based tools for data, voice and video communication. Typically, in a LIVE personalised session, all that a teacher needs is subject matter expertise to explain concepts, conduct tests, review completed papers, provide results and references and assist on assignments.

They are not necessarily required to be a qualified teacher from any training institute. It is usually the online teaching platforms that help them understand the functioning of various web-based tools for seamless sessions with the students. Online education makes it possible for students and teachers to connect anytime, anywhere at a mutually convenient time.
Teachers in the online space can work without any geographical boundaries and time limitations. Most importantly, they enjoy the freedom to think innovatively and make the process of imparting and gaining knowledge more enjoyable. E-teaching is providing an option to teachers to conduct sessions at a time convenient to them from the comfort of their homes/workplaces and the liberty to decide on the amount of hours they would want to dedicate in a day.

In fact, online teaching is also creating full-time employment/alternate employment for women/housewives who previously had limitations in going out to teach. In this process, online teaching is creating a pool of really passionate teachers who love what they are doing.

Teacher earnings on online platform is usually decent and unbiased as it takes into account various parameters like, subject matter expertise, student engagement levels, experience, student feedback, etc. With increased acceptance of online courses for professional development, corporate training courses and tutoring for competitive examinations, teachers have more scope to earn better. 

E-teaching is totally transforming the way knowledge sharing happens, keeping the importance of teachers intact. Although, online education cannot replace the conventional institutional model, it is certainly revolutionising the secondary vertical education or tutoring space. The positive response towards online education reaffirms the belief in the power of education and in the power of student-teacher relationship. Now is the time, when we should strive to make teaching a profession by choice and not by chance.

(Vamsi Krishna is the co-founder and CEO of Vedantu Innovations, a live, 1-to-1 online tutoring platform.)