Yawning gap between rich, poor leading to trust deficit: ATI DG

Principal Secretary for Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Training) and Director General, Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Kalpana Gopalan, has said that the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor fans the flames of terrorism, crime and insecurity; This apart, the yawning gap is causing trust deficit and the suspicion of political and professional integrity.

She was delivering the valedictory address of 109th orientation programme for university and college assistant professors, organised by UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, University of Mysore, here recently. Gopalan said, the bond between citizens is increasingly strained by the fragmenting effects of economic flexibility. “People, who spend most of their time producing and consuming, find less time for family or community,” she pointed out.

The DG said, teachers play a vital role in changing the system, and they can change the lives of the people with the right mix of chalk and talk. Highlighting the role, relevance and challenges of teaching, she said, due to the advent of education technology, there are some fundamental changes in the teaching-learning environment.

“We need to change with the changing times. This requires ‘new approaches’ to work. As we work in a ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘knowledge society’, the role of teachers is vital in making the classroom innovative, creative and enjoyable,” she said.

“The need of the hour is not ‘the qualification of a teacher’ but ‘quality of teacher’. By constantly updating professional knowledge and imparting creativity and ingenuity among students, they engage in building ‘a strong and vigorous civil society,” the DG said.

UoM Syndicate member Shruti Tharun Giri said, at a time when there are questions about quality in higher education, teachers need to play a key role in changing this perception. To perform their role effectively, teachers should be proactive in terms of research, conference presentations and publications, she said.

Director of UGC-HRDC Lingaraj Gandhi reminded the responsibilities of teachers in re-establishing the trust of the society towards teachers as embodiment of knowledge, character, values and commitment for the well-being of society. Teachers should handle classes not just with chalks and talks, but with technology. As learners have become smart with technology, teachers should not lag behind in the use of information communication technology (ICT), observed Gandhi.

Teachers from 22 disciplines from colleges and universities across the state as well as from Assam, Maharashtra and Kerala took part in the programme.