Teachers day in India is celebrated every year on 5th September to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s second President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who himself was an accomplished, hardworking teacher and dedicated his whole life for the cause of noble teaching mission. He spent nearly 40 years of his life as an ideal teacher par excellence, who always performed his duties very honestly and sincerely and was very punctual and regular to his duties. He always stood firmly with transparency, accountability, impartiality, and objectivity principles with never any conflict of interest. His method of teaching was very simple but effective, meritorious and commendable that all students understands his lesson very easily. He treated his students as his own sons and daughters and took proper care of students in teaching learning process. He was very gentle teacher and acted as a guide, friend, philosopher to his students. He became an example for the teaching community of india due to his noble qualities. Teaching is one of the noblest professions in the world . It is the profession of our beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) who has been always regarded as one of the best teacher and an example for all the teachers of the world due to his all round noble teaching qualities. Teaching is a kind of profession that gives rise to all other elite professions like doctors, engineers, scholars, writers, Journalists, businessmen, policemen, architects, entrepreneurs, judicial officers, administrators, prime ministers and presidents, even politicians etc. All round development of the society largely depends upon the good teachers who always produce good citizens and quality professionals in all fields. Without ideal and best teachers, society is likely a dilapidated house. Teachers are really the architects of the society who builds the society very strong. Teachers inculcate good qualities among students like humility, love, patience, passion, brotherhood, transparency, accountability, impartiality, empathy , sympathy, equality, equity etc. They teach students good manners, discipline, respect, tolerance, what is right and wrong, good and evil etc .They mould the lives of learners who are future of our society and make their future very bright and shining. Teachers always act as guide, friend, and philosopher to students. Good and ideal teachers are always soft spoken, intelligent, industrious, smiling, sympathetic and possessing a good knowledge of his/her subject. They keep themselves updated and upgraded with the current knowledge. The status of a teacher is also equal to that of a parent because there is only one teacher, who teaches their students the real meaning of life and to live a good life. Students spend majority of time with their teachers than parents, who nurture, groom, care them like their own sons and daughters. Teachers want their students to bloom and flourish in all respects by teaching them new innovative skills and knowledge with exemplary courage, dedication and performance for the stronger, healthy and constructive society. Students flock to such ideal teachers and public admire them for their teaching skills and ideal qualities.
Once upon a time, teachers join the department with great vigor, enthusiasm and interest and their enthusiasm was alive till retirement life.They were highly respected and honored by students and parents in particular and society in general. the relationship among the teachers, students and parents was very strong and unbreakable. the teachers delivered their classes honestly, regularly and with dedication considering their students as their own wards. The students too were obedient, humble and thirsty for learning and there was no materialistic thinking among teachers. The teachers were sincere, hardworking, dedicated, updated with knowledge. Their way of teaching were articulative, demonstrative, mesmerizing and thought provoking. Private tuition centers by government teachers were absent. Teachers, students and parents were very happy and highly satisfied. Teachers also acted as social reformers and social crimes were almost no where in a society due to influence of impressive moral lessons to students by the real nation builders. However, for the past one and half decade, the strong relationship among teachers, students, parents and society has weakened and changed a lot due to adoption of modernization, westernization, urbanization, and materialism. Due to lack of transparency, accountability, impartiality, work culture, dedication, hard work etc among forty percent of teaching community in schools, now the society is looking down upon and suspicious eyes to almost all teachers. Even hardworking, dedicated and honest teachers have to face the same fate in a so called modern society. Students of a modern society are not less, they have also lost respect, love, patience, obedience to their teachers in particular and parents and elders in general. All stakeholders are equally responsible to weakening relationship among the teachers, students and parents. Due to changing and weakening relationship among teachers, students and parents, the modern society is facing now multiple challenges like corruption, crimes, environmental degradation, collapse of moral values, moral institutions, social institutions, individual responsibilities etc. NGO’s, civil society, religious scholars in particular and society in general are much worried about the grave challenges that a modern materialistic society is facing. Mere celebrating teachers’ day on 5th September every year by sharing congratulation messages, gifts, sweets, bouquets, great sayings and quotations about teachers will do nothing. Ideal teachers need support, encouragement and appreciation from the community for their sincere and tireless teaching instead of looking down, cursing, and criticising. All other teachers other than ideal must also introspect themselves and should perform their duty honestly and with firm determination and dedication, then a society will be very strong, balanced, healthy and free from challenges like crimes, corruption etc. Students in particular and society in general should respect all teachers as people of developed countries respect their teachers. It is pertinent to mention here that, in developed countries, even the chief justice and judges salute and stand up on their chairs on seeing their ideal teachers, this is crystal clearly indicating respect and unprecedented strong student teacher relationship. The real celebration of a teachers’ day is to respect, encourage and appreciate all teachers as the secret of the progress and development of a society depends on the ideal teachers. Let’s pledge to respect the nation builders.
(The author is a teacher at Boys Higher Secondary School Beerwah. Views are his own)
