Role of Teachers in the Modern Society

Categories: Education Role In Society As Sister Society Teacher

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This was the consensus among speakers at a dialogue organised by Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in connection with the World Teachers Day at Children’s Library Complex on Friday. The theme for the day was “Take a stand for teachers!”

Ali Institute of Education Director Dr Shahid Majeed said the teachers’ status needed to be improved by offering them lucrative salaries as this measure alone could make teaching a profession of choice and not of compulsion for people.

“If government can give double salary to motorway police why it can’t do so for teachers,” he asked.

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If students are said to be “The future of Nation”, then the teachers are those who can be referred as “Future Builders of the Nation”. They build the future citizens of the country. Education is one of the ultimate and most respectable services provided by teachers. Teachers are the main pillars of a sound and progressive society. They bear the weight and responsibility of teaching and apart from parents, are the main source of knowledge and values for children.

The role of teacher is very important because the main aim of the teacher is the character building of the students through academics. A teacher should not only be restricted to teaching which is written in the textbook but should try to come up to the students' expectations for which education should not be confined to merely delivering lectures, because it is another name for mental growth. A teacher should teach the students to respect people, regardless of the social status—it is respect which returns you respect.

The purpose of the teacher is not to cram the student's head with facts but to prepare them for a life of purity and sincerity. This total commitment to character-building is the highest goal of a teacher. What is important is that the child be exposed to an education that predominantly teaches values such as obedience, care, forgiveness, respect and truthfulness etc. Education should aim at the balanced growth of the total personality of a student through the training of his spirit, intellect, his rational self, feelings and bodily senses. This can only be done by a teacher. He not only caters the spiritual development of the student but is also responsible for the development of the soul—the mind and body. A teacher is also a guide to lead students to the righteous path. It is his duty to produce a wholesome child who carries out his obligations as set out by the precepts of Islam.

The teacher's directive is to educate a child by giving him or her mannerisms and etiquette that will serve the child and community, and ultimately make the child understand the purpose of his life and to provide the child with knowledge that will equip him/her to pursue both worldly gains and most importantly after-life gains. Such a child does not feel coerced, stifled or imprisoned but feels motivated, free and eager. Knowledge without character = Incomplete Education. The teacher can foster students desire, care about and act upon “the good”. Through character education the teacher can inculcate core ethical values, such as caring, honesty, fairness and responsibility, and respect for self and others. Character education strives to develop students' intrinsic motivation and commitment to do what is right.

Parents and community members should be full partners in the character-building effort and have to play a cardinal role in the building up of the character of the next generation. The teacher’s role is particularly important and has been compared with that of the prophets. Every prophet is essentially a teacher. On more than one vision, Providence has changed the fate of nations through effective and well directed teaching. This profession is so important and so sacrosanct that the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) proudly declared it to be a prominent part of his personality and prophet hood. If a teacher realizes the significance of his job, the tremendous responsibility he is shouldering, the share he has in the future development of the nation, and consequently the accountability he will have to lace in the Hereafter, he will at once shudder with the idea of facing the grave consequences of any dereliction on his part. Indeed it is an ideal teacher at the climax of his performance that brings out a positive change in the overall behavior of his students by leading them to a lofty character and to exemplary morals.

While commenting on the role of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) as a teacher, Robert L. Gulick, writes: “Only the most provincial concept of education would gainsay the legitimacy of placing Mohammad (P.B.U.H) among the great educators of all times for, from the pragmatic standpoint, he who elevates human behavior is a prince among educators.” Teachers have to develop the personality of students. The most important component of personality development of character is developing the spirit of service. When an individual learns to invest one's surplus strength, knowledge and power to serve other people, he or she becomes a person, develops a new energy resource, namely character- energy. This is the third and highest human energy resource, over and above the first tow. namely, physical energy and intellectual energy. Whatever Pakistan will be in the next generation will depend upon what we do to our students today in the classroom. The students must prepare themselves for future challenges, they should not compromise on their identity wherever they go and whatever they do, they must exert to protect their values.

He said the teachers, instead of rigidly following textbooks, should exercise freedom and impart education to their students on the basis of curriculum.ITA programmes director Dr Baela Raza Jamil said the demand for quality teachers was very high as there was a dearth of such professionals in the country. She said the learning level of students in public as well as private schools in rural parts of the country was abysmally low and there was a lot of room for improvement.

She said sustained enrolment was a big issue in public sector schools and only quality education could hold children in schools.

Referring to ASER survey 2011 report, she said, some 40 per cent classes were offering multi-grade education simultaneously and stressed that all classes should be separated by improving infrastructure and teachers’ strength.

After the 18th Amendment and inclusion of Article 25-A, it was the responsibility of provinces to enact law and ensure free and compulsory education for children in 5-16 year age group.

She said the Islamabad Capital Territory had already introduced a law to make education free and compulsory, while Punjab had constituted a commission to formulate a draft law for the purpose. She, however, observed that the commission must not hold closed-door meetings and instead make the draft law public and let all stakeholders give their input.

ITA Director (Research) Dr Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal said for imparting quality education to students, there was a need for developing quality teachers. For a teacher to be competent, he said, it was imperative that he or she should have command over subject matter, besides having pedagogical skills. “This ultimately raises the issue of pre-service and in-service training of teachers and we stand for this,” he said.

Punjab Teachers Union central secretary general Taj Haider said political interference in education sector, especially schools, should be done away with. He said only education could strengthen Pakistan.

Teachers’ leader Rashid Bhatti said the government had engaged teachers in activities other than classroom teaching that was not good for the profession. He stressed teachers should be allowed to work in classrooms without any interference. He also urged the headmasters to coach weak teachers to improve quality of education.

Beaconhouse School System head of studies Roohi Haq, PACADE’s Inayatullah, ITA Trustee Jamil Najam, Christian Teachers Association chairman Anjum Paul and Malik Allah Dad also spoke on the occasion.

The ITA also launched ‘Anita Ghulam Ali World Teachers Day Award 2012’ for the best classroom practices on environmental education and climate change.