Essay on Teachers in Today’s Society

 

The cheapest and easily available commodity in the market today is Teacher. A Teacher, who once upon a time, was considered to be the role model in a society, is losing his relevance. The teacher is not solely responsible for his pathetic plight the major responsibility lies on the shoulders of the so called aristocrats of the society.

In many developing countries today Educational institutions have become Industries. The best way, for these aristocrats, to convert the black money into white is to establish an educational institution, extract money from the parents in the name of development and donations, swell their own bank balance, appoint highly qualified but needy teachers who could easily be made to dance on the tunes of such masters and easily be exploited, elevate your standards in the society and run the establishment.

People yell that academic standards are declining. How can academic standards be raised under meager salaries and exploitation. So much of corruption and unnecessary interventions have crept into this industry that it has become a herculean task for a candid educator to run such industries without compromising with the bona fide morals.

And therefore the teacher of today is considered not less than any bonded slave. The astounding fact is that the so called landed gentry of the society, who cast inferior looks at the teacher, have forgotten that it was a teacher who made them reach to such pinnacles of success.

This group of landed gentry is joined by few power hungry people who earn good salaries but have no recognition in the society and the best way they have discovered to get this recognition is to associate them with any such educational institution which is on the front line in teacher exploitation.  Such people may lose their cool and balance if their masters shun giving them bonus or perks with their salaries, but when the question comes to either amend or boost a teacher’s salary they are the ones on the frontline to oppose any such idea. They compare their working hours with that of teacher but they never dare to compare their salaries and benefits with that of a teacher. They raise their brows, oppose and exhibit their annoyance when any teacher, who gets low wages and tries to feed all the mouths of his family, takes tuition.

But the same shameless group never hesitates to approach the same teacher for tuition when their kith and kin need extra help or guidance from a teacher. On such occasions they keep all their so called phony ethics at one corner and beg before a teacher. As soon as their mission is accomplished they again wear the mask of phony ethics criticizing tuitions and joining the same group of thankless people who deem it to be their moral responsibility to keep a watch on every P’s and Q’s of a teacher and list as many faults of a teacher as they can.

Why this dual character?

The expectation of the society from a teacher has always been very high and no doubt the teachers have left no stone unturned in coming to those expectations and touching the set bench marks of a society, but has the society ever realized that what expectation does a teacher have from the society? Never! Teachers’ aspirations and expectations are either buried under the heavy official files and folders or are crushed under the rules and regulations framed by those who know nothing about educational ethics.

Teacher after giving his long and dedicated services to the cause of education fails to build his own house and he is called a builder of a nation. To construct a small house a teacher has to run from pillar to post, file number of applications and by the time his loan application is approved he is on the threshold of superannuation.

It’s a high time when our materialistic masses should learn to respect teachers and give them a due and respectable place that has been long waiting for them.

By

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Email: fakhruddinaliin-at-yahoo.co.in