Over hauling the system
The role of teachers cannot be deemed minor in developing good character among students
Aijaz Ahmad Dar
Walking just half a kilometre from my locality, one can count or locate at least ten schools and walking further a distance of 100 or 200 meters, more six schools will catch your attention.
Presently Kashmir is housing thousands of private schools. On one hand it is quite encouraging that Kashmiri people are very interested in education but on the other hand the gives birth to number of question. Are they really imparting education or they have set up institutions just for the business purposes? Most owners are interested in earning money while only few are sincere to do something better for the nation by imparting education in real sense to new generation. No doubt from last few decades literacy rate of our state has increased but is there any record for education rate?
What is education?
Education does not mean just to know how to write or read. Education is the sense to become civilized by attaining more and more useful knowledge so that we can achieve the capability to be called the 21st century people.
No matter how much higher qualifications a person would be possessing but if he is not having the etiquettes of behaviour he cannot be an educated one. Education possessed by a person is reflected from his behaviour. Although, in ancient days there were no such schools but still people lived a better life without worries.
The people today have moved on quite ahead and have left that period behind. Science is advancing day by day and inventing new gadgets one after the other so that people can live a better and peaceful life. It has left those old methods and ideas but with all these things, it has lost the moral values which are much needed in this period.
We have to realize the real motive of pursuing education and then only our hard work and long struggle will bear fruit. Otherwise going to schools and tuitions in the early morning and carrying loads of books on our shoulders will not be worth anything. Teachers can bring about extraordinary transformation in the society. A teacher should practice what he preaches.
Teachers are a role-model for the students.
Teachers guide the destiny of their students. Their actions convey more than their words. There is a saying “as the teacher, so as thought” and “as the school so the student” is something which cannot be disputed. Teacher’s responsibility in this national task is tremendous.
They can make a modest beginning by helping and guiding children to keep their school premises clean, instilling in them a sense of punctuality and a sense of duty. Many of these qualities can be inculcated by teachers themselves through personal examples. There is a good deal that can be done by united efforts of teachers and parents.
Students learn values from what the teachers are rather than from what they say. Teacher makes a maximum impact on the personality of a student in the formative years. Students imbibe virtues and vices knowingly and unknowingly from theses role models. Teachers demonstrate the appropriate behaviour of their students by their actions. Teachers must have healthy attitude and should possess rich values.
Teaching is all about attitude positive/ negative towards their job of imparting quality education. Teacher should act as a friend, philosopher and guide. A teacher is not only a source of information but is also a mentor and guardian. For this teacher must respect the teaching profession, love subjects and students.
Students will seek inspiration from teachers who have high self-esteem. A decade back or so the role of a teacher was limited to being a source of information. But today this place is shared by books, coaching classes, multimedia technology etc.
So the role of a teacher has changed. Role of a teacher has increased manifold. In modern times we are experiencing transition. A teacher can maintain values and nurture them. A teacher has an immense potential of bringing about a sea change in the society by demonstrating essential values of head and heart.
Teacher can impart values in students by giving them instructions through discussion, experimentation and lectures and by the following mentioned ways. Teachers can maintain a case-study register to closely observe the students and note down the positive and negative traits of their personality. Teachers should also tell the students to maintain a spiritual diary in which they will surrender themselves to God and take an oath to follow the path shown buy him. By organising cultural and sports events values like team spirit, sharing, spirit of cooperation, patience, courtesy and others can be imparted.
Value education help students find their place in the world and build their self-confidence. Values in a school curriculum add a dimension to promote holistic development of the students and benefits their academic achievement. Teachers feel a need to introduce experiential approaches to value education as a means to counter an overly cognitive national curriculum and to address issues of behaviour, discipline and social attitudes. The role of teachers cannot be deemed minor in developing good character among students.
(The author is a student of MSC Mathematics at MANUU)
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