Words Are Not Enough On Teachers Day.

Prime Minister Modi was at his best when he addressed school children on Teachers Day .He was charming ,did not ramble with his ideas ,and had the right answers  to questions that were obviously well rehearsed by the kids who asked them, and maybe given to him in advance to reflect upon. What was the end  result ? Firstly he got the entire student community excited –the last PM who gave children so much of importance was Nehru .You could see appreciation and admiration drip from each one of the kids faces .!! He impressed on them the importance of respect for teachers ,motivating and urging parents to send girls to school ,mastering and using technology ,developing the reading habbit and so on .He turned out to be fabulous teacher because like crores of Indians he addresses at his rallies  –he held them spell bound .

But what will all this lead to ?He spoke for 100 minutes which in most schools is equal to 3 periods .No matter how great a teacher one is -3 periods in a year is just not going to help.All schools repeat what he said on a daily basis –though with much less conviction and minus the force of power behind them  .!! So what am I saying he should have done ? Not spoken ? The answer is both Yes and No .He should have spoken –but on Childrens Day.And then too realize that speaking is never going to be enough .Because the future of children lies in the hands of the teachers and getting teachers energized on a regular basis depends on policies and legislation that governments make and follow .I hope his government  does that.I also hope he talks to the students on Childrens Day  and goes beyond the pettiness of avoiding it because J Nehru was the grandfather of his arch rival Rahul Gandhi.

But what is wrong you would ask ,if he addresses children on Teachers Day ? My answer is that on Teachers Day ,he should have spoken more about Teachers than children .Yes –he did talk about why children must treat teachers like Gods and Goddesses. In all honesty  Modi sought to confer on school Teachers a large measure of professional pride.I know that he has a feel for schools because he has one in Ahmedabad . But Teachers rightfully have a number of complaints.It is a silent community and is browbeaten by managements and arm twisted by everyone .They are a exploited lot and have to beg for something so fundamental as DA increases ,gratuity and earned leave .They are shouted at by parents and ripped apart by the Press when they call a child jocularly “foolish” .They will slap a case of mental harrasment against the teacher .Managements and Principals( collaborators at most time ,like the bureaucracy is with the politicians !!)   will try to defang them and pulverize them to submission and yet expect children to respect them .They are underpaid and have to work under conditions which God forbid fortunate people don’t have to .I am talking of a majority of private schools in India .I was a Principal for over two decades and have a birds eye view of the way the system worked .Teachers need to protected by legislation which makes sure that exploitation of any kind will be met by zero tolerance .The Managements will always make a issue about and try not to  give  the teachers their financial dues and that is something which demotivates them .It is no wonder that the best talent is no longer coming into the profession .And the catch 22 situation is that the  mediocre seldom have the guts to stand up and get counted and they are easily beaten into submission .And that is why we have a educational system that is in a mess .Having worked  in Dubai for a year now ,I see the difference between what happens in India and here   .Teachers and Principals here  are so confident and well paid (in comparison to India) because everything is in black and white .The result –one can concentrate on your job and not indulge in psychophancy because that works well  in India but not here . !!

The PM and the State Governments must address the major problems that confront school teachers in India .China got its priorities right .They invested in Education and Health Care before turning  to other things . Yes, teachers have a litany of complaints—some very  legitimate and others not so legitimate . The future of India will depend on how it treats its school teachers .Giving a 3 hour discourse is a good idea –but so was the movie Sholay .It had entertainment value but was far too removed from reality .We cant have a ostrich like approach . To successfully “Make in India”, we have to educate our youth well. Not just to be skilled workers, but to be smart and thinking individuals. That requires us to stick to first principles –look after the teachers well .!! We cant postpone the problems further .Otherwise it will consume us .Sooner than later .