Selfless lesson for teachers

Dimapur| September 4 : It’s Saturday morning and Revered Dr. Xashepu Wotsa, the Director of New Life Bible College is getting ready to go to Folongani in Assam’s Golaghat district where he runs a school for Advasi children. He visits the school quite often but today he is going there for a special purpose- to celebrate Teachers’ Day. He has hired a bus to take him and his team but is awaiting confirmation about a supposed Assam blockade. He invites me into his small yet neat and comfy office. I hadn’t explained in details the purpose of my interview the previous evening when I called him so I got straight to the point. He listened and said “You are lucky… I can spare time till we get confirmation on the Assam bandh.” For the next one hour he talks to me about his life, his work and his commitment to God.
Xashepu Wotsa was born into a Christian family in Ghokimi village, Pughoboto area in the year 1957. He did his early schooling in Kohima English Baptist School and later returned to his village to finish high school. He married Heili Wotsa while still in high school and appeared his matriculate exams after marriage. That was the end of his education because he never went back to school. Thereafter, he started doing odd jobs and eventually ventured into business. He became a successful government contractor and then entered politics. By the mid-nineties, he owned several trucks, buses, cars and a house in Kohima. He was basking in the material pleasures of life. Then suddenly one day, God spoke to him through a faithful servant.
The year was 1997 and he wasn’t ready to accept God into his life. He refused to acknowledge God’s calling several times and even created unpleasant situations at home thinking God would just forget about him. But God continued to send revelations through his friends and neighbours. He finally gave in and the same year surrendered his life to God. It is 14 years now and his zeal to serve God is growing each passing day. He established New Life Bible College in 1997. During the next few years he also enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in Theology. He sold off all his material possessions and invested into the service of God.
He set up schools for underprivileged children in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Uttarkashi. He is the first Naga missionary to Tripura. Every year he sends students of New Life Bible College as missionaries to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Nagaland. His biggest challenge has been setting up a school in the sacred Hindu town of Uttarkashi. The school in Folongani is also growing by leaps and bounds.  
Wotsa was given an honorarium doctorate for his mission work by the International Association for Theology Accreditation in 2006. He is humbled by the honour bestowed upon him, he says. “I enjoy serving God,” he says, adding “I have been involved in business, in politics… but there is nothing like serving God.” Wotsa also teaches in his college although he is engaged more with the administration. He has the highest regard for teachers. He says no profession can equal teaching as teachers are responsible for molding the future generations.
“When we were in school, our teachers were very sincere. Even if students were not present, they would never be absent,” he says. During those days there was mutual love and respect between teachers and students, he says while opening a big polythene bag and showing me tee shirts meant for the Advasi children.
He blames the parents of those persons involved in the “bogus teachers scam.” “It all begins in the family…don’t blame the teacher, blame the parents,” he says. He also says if teachers cannot be sincere and honest, then the generations’ future is at stake. “I cannot send somebody else to discipline my son,” he says about teachers who keep proxy.  
Teaching is a noble and honourable profession. It requires profound dedication and continuity in learning and innovation to be a good teacher. As Wotsa mentions, in the past, teachers were highly revered in the society; they were regarded to be people with integrity, selflessness and sincerity. But today in Naga society, teachers have the lost that respect. Perhaps, we can learn from this selfless man who gave up everything and seeking nothing in return to serve God. To me, he is a fine example of sacrifice, hard work and commitment- all the qualities needed to make a perfect teacher.