Role of teacher in present Era

Let me start with a quote “better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher” At the very beginning, I would like to say thank you very much for my respected teachers to attend this program and also thankful to all other non-teaching staff to have their valuable time with us. I heartily welcome everyone to this event. The light of the world, the beacon in the dark and the hope that gives us strength to survive, is our teacher. Today we celebrate Teachers’ Day It gives me immense pleasure to talk about teacher’s day as teachers are the builders of nation, the shapers of the destiny and the creators of world’s great personalities. The greatness of a teachers behind every great mind is an irrefutable fact. A teacher is the only force that drives the important pillars of the society. One child, one teacher and one book can change the world (Malala Yousuf). Teacher encourages minds to think, hands to create history and hearts to show love. A good teacher is like a candle that consumes itself to light the way for others.
Teaching is the one profession that shapes all other professions: The society is at the critical juncture with multiple ailments, and education is the only means which can cure it. Teacher is the only tool to pave the way to a total humanistic approach. We are not short of best professionals, technocrats in our society but the concern which has largely engulfed us is the lack of good human resource. The basic idea of education is to create good human beings if it fails in that endeavour, we as society are bound to collapse. Today countries have successfully mobilized resources to obtain qualified human power; however that human power is not possible without good teaches with human heart.
A teacher in the twenty first century must be, digital teacher, resource provider, planner for careers, digital instructor for different ways of learning, learning facilitator, technology lover etc.
Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.’ –W.B. Yeats- As the nuances of societies have changed so the role of a teacher has undergone a radical change in this twenty first century. The teaching methodology has changed and so the teacher-student relationship has changed. Teaching has become more challenging in this tech-savvy world where the teacher has to adapt and make himself relevant to changing circumstances. Since individual is multifaceted entity and so the teacher has to flourish and develop every dimension of an individual. The teacher in this modern era has to inculcate among the students the very importance of good education with dominant human dimension. The twenty first century is facing multiple challenges like corruption, crimes, environmental degradation, collapse of moral values, moral institutions, social institutions, individual responsibilities etc., therefore teacher has to focus on the real issues which the societies are facing. The teacher has to be practical and must focus on those areas which are important for the survival and inclusive development of the society. Day by day new ways and technologies are emerging, one has to adopt new ways of learning. Teachers have a vital role to play. The former president A P J Abdul Kalam had said that teachers have a tremendous responsibility in shaping the life of an individual. Teacher also acts as a social reformer. Now I can say that educational system around the world are under immense pressure to use technology, to teach the students skills and knowledge that they require in the twenty first century. Good teachers will surely determine the course of their nations. Good teacher is a guarantee for the inclusive nation building. Recently department of education university of Kashmir had also organised a Webnar on the eve of teacher’s day. In this Webinar they highlighted the role of teacher in present era of technology world. For changing the dynamics of the world the role of the teacher is essential for sustainable education. At the same time inspiring and guiding the students in increasing employability skills with the digital tools is the perquisite for a teacher. Thus a teacher in the twenty first century will be a digital teacher. The teacher’s role is also to inculcate the critical thinking, and creativity among the students. A teacher in the twenty first century must be, digital teacher, resource provider, planner for careers, digital instructor for different ways of learning, learning facilitator, technology lover etc.
( The author is a freelancer. Views are his own)[email protected]