Student-Teacher relationship has undergone a change
Imran Raina
One of the most important days of the year in our society is the Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated all over the country on September 5 every year. On this occasion, meetings, discussions and various colorful programs are organized to pay homage to the teachers engaged in a respectable and sacred profession however due to COVID-19 pandemic this year the celebrations were limited.
As we all know that this memorable day, Teacher’s Day, is celebrated on the birthday of the first Vice President of India and the second President of the Republic, Dr. Sarupali Radha Krishnan. He liked to call himself a teacher. He was very humble. He was so popular among his students that when he left the university, the students decorated a horse-drawn carriage, carried him on their shoulders instead of horses, and took him to the station with tears in their eyes.
Today, of course, we celebrate Teachers’ Day with pomp and circumstance. The condition of teachers has definitely improved, they have made all kinds of material progress, but this is only one side of the picture, the other side of it is just as blurred and capable. It is noteworthy that the strong teacher-student relationship that once existed is now much weaker. There was a time when the teacher was considered a personality builder and the architect of the nation and even the rulers of the time paid homage to their teacher.
The story of Alexander the Great is well-known that he was traveling with his teacher Aristotle. On the way they came across a river. Alexander the Great insisted that he be given the opportunity to measure the depth of the river. Aristotle restrained Alexander, saying, “I am your teacher. You must obey me.” I will go down into the water first. Alexander replied in the affirmative, “Dear Master, in this process you can also be killed. Therefore, I will never see the world lose a worthy teacher like you. Because even hundreds of Alexanders together cannot produce one Aristotle, while one Aristotle can produce hundreds or thousands of Alexanders.
Alexander’s statement that my parents sent me down from heaven to earth while my teacher took me from the earth to the height of heaven is also very famous.
The importance of teachers is also shown by the fact that all religions of the world have urged to respect the rights of parents and teachers along with the rights of Allah. The role that a mother plays in the training of a child is later played by a teacher. The teacher not only teaches the curriculum but also works on personality development. Provides training along with education.
Today’s child will become tomorrow’s ideal citizen. He has to take the first lesson from his teachers and under their supervision the child steps on the ladder of youth. He not only gets curriculum knowledge from his teachers but also morals, civilization and culture. Education cannot be complete without a teacher. He acts as a guide in all matters of life, giving guidance.
Our education system today is based on four elements. Good and satisfying results can be achieved in any educational institution only with the best arrangement and beautiful harmony of these four elements.
These four elements are teachers, students, guardians and administrators, i.e, a teacher should have a good relationship with his students, their guardians and members of the administration. In particular, the relationship between teacher and student or teacher and learner, i.e, teacher and student, is of fundamental importance.
Unfortunately, this has been questioned in modern times. Before any reform in the education system, it is important to look at why the teacher-student relationship has deteriorated today, where the knots have fallen. Where is the confusion and what is the form of unraveling?
In the past the teacher-student relationship has never been a problem. Whether it is the Rishi Mani pathshala or the monasteries and religious schools of the Sufi saints. Their spirituality, the moral system was the main source of education. This experiment cannot be done in modern educational institutions. Because with time and circumstances, the environment has changed a lot.
Before considering modern education systems and ideologies, it is important to look at the political, social and economic implications that affect them. In the late nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution came to Europe and affected the whole world. The result of this revolution was a flood of materialism and secularism that destroyed many of our moral and spiritual values.
The ancient civilization was overthrown. Obviously, our old education system has changed and so has the teacher-student relationship. The tragedy is that the relationship of love and respect, which was based on sincerity and connection, came to the business level. When the whole environment was affected by materialism, the logic of a student, that is, a student, was that I have enrolled in a school or college, I pay fees. So I have the right to sit in the classroom and listen to lectures.
I am not a hostage to any teacher and on the other hand the teacher is also a product of the same environment. We all acquire knowledge in order to earn a living. Due to which the devotion and thirst for knowledge that should have existed has not remained. As a result, he does not have perfect access to his subject and in such cases; the teacher keeps his students at a distance in the guise of knowledge and virtue to hide his flaws.
When students ask questions, he suppresses them and frightens them. In such a case, the students’ tongues falls silent but their faces depict the real picture. Then in their heart there is no love and respect for the teacher. So the student thinks that I have paid the fee and I study and hence I am not indebted to the teacher. On the other hand, the teacher has also become a professional. He thinks that he has to work so many hours for his salary and after the school is over the students have no right over him.
Students should not forget that they benefit from the teachers, the teachers nurture their minds, they are their benefactors and the requirement of nobility is to keep the eyes of man bowed before their benefactor. On the other hand, the teacher’s perception that the student does not have the right to knock on my door after these hours is clearly immoral.
Let the disciples be their spiritual offspring. He has the right not only in his student life but also throughout his life to knock on the door of the teacher whenever he encounters any confusion and seeks his advice. In the beginning there was talk of compassion and respect. This is a fundamental link in the teacher-student relationship. But it should be known that compassion and respect are inseparable.
Sometimes respect breeds compassion and sometimes compassion breeds respect. Compassion and love are the things that have been seen melting ice cubes and rocks. Sincerity and love always conquer hearts and those hearts conquer the same conqueror of time. All the intricacies of teacher-student relationships can only be removed with a tried and tested prescription of compassion and respect.
(The writer is a teacher from Kangan Ganderbal)
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