This teacher is never absent

Perfect role model

  Syed Azadar Hussain, a teacher in Allahabad’s Yadgar Hussaini Intermediate College, has not taken any leave since September 25, 2000, according to the college authorities.

“Hussain has created a record of sorts by taking classes for over 3200 teaching days regularly”, said a college official. Although Hussain, being a confirmed teacher is entitled to casual, medical and earned leave yet he had, in the past nine years, “not availed any of them even for a day”, the official said.

Hussain attributes it to the “love and affection” of his students and the blessings of the Almighty. “I always feel that teachers have an obligation towards their students and they should do their best to fulfil it”, Hussain said.

Hussain feels that he could do it only with the blessings of the Almighty. “It is his blessing only that I never fell sick during all these years or else I would have been forced to take medical leave”, he said.

The love and affection showered on him by the students has also kept Hussain’s morale “very high”. “I always want to be among the students”, he said. The unprecedented regularity of Hussain has affected other teachers of the college as well. “Many of my colleagues, who used to be absent from their classes, have become more regular and responsible”, he said.

Teaching standards hit

Hussain however lamented that the teaching standards have taken a hit owing largely to “commercialisation of education”. “Teachers now take more interest in taking classes at private coaching institutions as they get good money there”, he points out.

“It has also adversally affected the teacher-student relations”, Hussain added.
The state of secondary education in UP is ‘pathetic’ despite the fact that the government is spending a whopping Rs 2,700 crore annually on the salary of the teachers.

UP minister for secondary education Rangnath Mishra said that the performance of the government schools has been “pathetic”. “The teachers don’t take classes though they are getting hefty salaries”, Mishra told Deccan Herald.

“The time has come to fix the accountability of the teachers”, the minister added. Teachers like Hussain could certainly become an example for others of his fraternity.