Why is the core of teaching apple-rotting?

 Policies in the Indian system of education are too rigid to be useful and meaningful. For instance, the number of students in each class does not permit teachers to pay individual attention to them. The vast ‘portions to be covered,’ the heavy workload of each teacher in terms of teaching, testing and evaluation seems to be weighing them down.

The onus of handling co and extra-curricular activities makes it awfully strenuous for both the learner and the teacher. The standard complaint of any teacher of any subject, at any level seems to be the same. Though issues like pay structure and working hours form a part of their grievance list, it is the basic educational issues which happen to be their pet peeves.

To a seasoned teacher, the issues are familiar and clichéd, but they feel a sense of exasperation because nothing much has been done about rectifying them over the decades. Keen observation of the community will reveal that the core of the teaching apple is rotting.

Times have changed and so have the lifestyles of people. Educated people have more options and opportunities in varied fields, yet there are lots of people who choose to teach for several reasons. Young graduates and post-graduates consider teaching to be a ‘stop-gap’ arrangement till they find greener pastures.

A decent vacation

The ones who choose to stick to the profession do so because the working hours are shorter and they also get to enjoy a decent vacation with pay. While women teachers utilise their time in nurturing their families, men usually run tuition centres. Prioritising teaching in an institution virtually takes a back seat in such a scenario.

Though India has a very flattering image in the educational scene globally, one cannot discount the presence of a great deal of duality in the education system: While Indian students in prestigious universities across the world generally do well, there are many doctorate holders who don’t seem to know much about their chosen subjects.

Passion for the subject, patience, affection for one’s student and responsibility of passing on the right values to the next generation is almost passé.

All institutions dream and plan to impart bilateral education blending theory and practice at the end of every academic year. The idea is invariably stifled after an initial stint of experimentation because they succumb to the pressure of preparing students for the forthcoming examinations. Even reputed institutions and international schools sooner or later submit to the tenacious system.

Institutions should consider downsizing of classes and resort to shift system which is not without fringe benefits like making optimum use of their premises, creating employment opportunities at all levels and perhaps introducing new courses related to the mainstream course. They should realise that if the efforts of a sincere teacher has to be translated into the making of a responsible, well-behaved and educated student, one has to see a radical change in the number of homogeneous students in terms of age, ability and aptitude assigned to each teacher.

Besides, the government and managements should look out for two pre-requisites in a teacher: a command over the subject he/she teaches and also a passion for teaching. The authority should ensure that nothing forbids a teacher from adopting innovative teaching for every avid individual has a potential to be creative. If good teachers are well paid, attrition can be avoided.

If institutions want to promote high moral character and assure academic excellence, transparency and accountability should become the order of the day. When teaching and evaluation become reliable, credibility of the education system will automatically go up.
This dream can translate into a reality if all earnest educators uphold their integrity. If the authorities oversee their efforts by enforcing a few stringent and relevant laws, it will help all round progress and eventually wipe the stigma that is associated with the system.