Well the natural follow up for the school system has brought me to the topic of Teachers. I have had certain strong views regarding this profession.
The selection of profession especially in India is market driven. What I mean by this is majority choose the field not for the love of the field but the monetary benefits they will get once in that particular field. Of course there are many who chose a field for the love of it, and many more who start loving the field they have chosen. Here I am talking of general majority. This is very clear from the IT field where we see lot of our bright youngsters.
Must be wondering what I am trying to express. Well if the teaching profession was the best paid field I am sure many talented and bright people would chose this field as their profession. It is very important that children/student are exposed to bright teachers. After a certain level one has to learn himself/herself. But guidance and the direction to take is very important and this is where a good teacher will make a lot of difference. The student will be taught to think for themselves and not just mug up few readymade notes.
In ancient India utmost importance was given to teachers who were called gurus. That is why Brahmins were held in high esteem as they were primarily teachers. But all that got screwed up and now it is eroded to being just a mere caste which has false superiority and also which is being put to lot of injustice in the reservation/quota system. That is entirely a different topic not relevant here. There is a sanskrit verse which says the best form of Dhana is vidhya dhana. That can be roughly translated as ' the best service is Teaching others'.
Since highly qualified people take up other lucrative professions, many un interested, and less talented people end up in teaching profession. This is true of many un aided, and Government schools.
In spite of constraints there are many who do well. But if this becomes the best paid service I am sure it will make a difference to a whole generation. In other words if teachers are taken care of well, it will definitely help the society as a whole.
