Editor,
After six decades of celebrating Teachers Day many questions have become vital today . And the most important of all is that in this contemporary world, has the role of teachers changed? The answer is a definite ” yes”. Decades ago the picture of a teacher was imagined as someone holding a stick, giving punishment and repeating the lessons in a harsh tone . Teachers at that time remained accountable only to the book questions. But that anachronistic stereotype has ceased to exist today. The job of a teacher is no longer confined to finishing the syllabus and setting the question papers. Today they perform the duties of a leader, counsellor and a problem solver at the same time. And the morphing of their role has occurred due several factors, which are driving the society today. With the progressing time ,the tasks of the teachers have also kept on transforming at every stage. Because students of today are not growing up in a static environment. The dynamism of technology, fashion and western culture are constantly shaping their behavior and thought process. Teachers now focus not only on the studies, but also on various changes taking place within a student to understand their problems.
After the advent of social media and technological developments ,students are today exposed to vulnerable things right from an early age. This has put an extra responsibility on the present day teachers for correcting the choices of the young ones, and explaining to them the difference between good and evil. There was a time when school teachers could rarely communicate after the school hours. Lack of telephone connectivity limited their visibility and availability only during the school time . But today the duties of teachers extend far beyond the school gate. Technological advancement has made them work round the clock. They remain in contact with the students , and solve their queries through video conferencing , Whatsapp messaging and over phones also .
Today’s academic curriculum is not limited only to finishing the textbook chapters and passing the exams. Assignments , group projects, extra curricular activities and science Olympiads are together considered as a single syllabus which students are expected to complete in a given time frame .This puts a huge psychological burden on them leading to depression and anxiety in many cases. Teachers now relentlessly assist the students in simplifying their curriculum for easy understanding of the complications . Today’s childrens have grown up watching things happening instantly. They have seen pizzas reaching home within 30 minutes, clothes getting dry up in 5 minutes and tea coming out of the machines in seconds .They want mechanical speed in everything . The teachers now take the ordeal in explaining to them that acquiring knowledge and achieving success is not like making two minutes noodles , It will require patience and hard work.
For the overall development of a student, teachers today keep themselves updated about everything so that questions can be answered , from both inside and outside the syllabus. Moreover, in this challenging world, parents often remain too occupied with their jobs and businesses, giving less time to their childrens. Teachers now play the part of a good listener and build confidence among the young students , by responding to their queries with utmost attention . Apart from the school duties, teachers are now engaged in several non-academic activities also. They perform the job of enumerators and fulfil the census questionnaires, work as polling officers in the elections and collect data for various government projects.
But despite performing a remarkable job, are the teachers getting their due from the society. Today we see students beating up teachers over trivial issues. Guardians quarrels with them for pointing mistakes in their children . The private schools which always squeeze heavy fees from the students, often pay little to the teachers, letting their morale down. Teachers are the torchbearers of society who educate ,discipline and help the children to become a good citizen in the future. They are the one who teaches the values, ethics ,ideals and enlightens the minds and souls of the future generation. So teachers are not an afterthought ,but central to the society’s uplift and development. It is high time to realize that their security and care is the collective responsibility of everyone. Because without them the society will languish in darkness and immorality.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari ,Jorhat
Assam
