Every year September 5 is celebrated as Teachers day in India. This is a day to remember, honour and appreciate the role of teachers in our lives. It is also the birthday of the former President of India and a great teacher himself, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India in 1962, some of his students and friends had approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate September 5, as his birthday. In reply Dr. Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers’ Day”. The gesture by Dr Radhakrishnan’s was manifest of his love for the teaching profession. From then onwards, the day has been observed as Teachers’ Day all over the country. Teachers Day which falls on Sunday is a good time to introspect on the role being played by teachers in moulding the future generation of citizens and also the problems if any that the multitude of people in the teaching profession are faced with.
According to the history of Chinese education, Confucius is seen as a shining example of all teachers, symbolizing the philosophy of “Educate all without discrimination, and teach according to the abilities of ones students.” In practice of his credo, the Sage never refused a student because of his class or character, requiring only that his pupils possess a sincere desire to learn. What we find today is that the teaching profession has by and large degenerated to such an extent that the teacher teaches not because they are interested in developing the character of students but because he or she gets the salary. On the other hand, the government, students and even parents do not consider them to be a teacher but rather as a service provider along commercial lines and hence, the teacher-student relationship is more businesslike, a sort of a bargain. When a teacher is reduced to this status, the expectations of instilling values are in vain.
Today’s education is turning out doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc., but to some extent, it is not producing good human beings. Unless education instils moral and spiritual values in a child, it cannot produce good human beings. As stated by former US President Bill Clinton, the 21st century must be the century of education and the century of the teacher. A teacher therefore has an enormous task to mould students into useful citizens of the future. It is a God given responsibility, a duty that cannot be taken lightly. Those who want to get into the profession of teaching should do so not as a right but as a duty. While recruiting teachers, the Government should also be able to measure the worth of a candidate not only on their capability and degrees but also look at the character and the integrity of a person. Teachers are after all expected to be role models, a profession that demands honesty, sincerity and self sacrifice. In today’s world, where success is defined by power and material gain not everyone can fit into this role. And that is also the reason why we have to zealously guard the profession of teaching and the extraordinary men and women who give their utmost for the welfare of our children. We salute the teachers who not only teach us but also show us right from wrong.
