Daily Times

Teacher. A seven-letter word the charm and perks of which are enjoyed by instructors, educators and professors at every level. A word the meaning of which is not known to those who fervidly give and superciliously take its privileges. A word in the name of which the youth of this country and many others are being egotistically exploited and deprived of self-respect and dignity. A word the existence of which narrates the tale of a long-lost legacy that is averred to be practised by all but in actuality has been kept alive by only a few dedicated souls.

Walking into a classroom with some books in one hand and a bag in the other, standing behind the dais, cleaning the whiteboard, opening a textbook and asking students to take turns in reading the whole passage (or lesson, as they prefer to call it) are the particular functions performed by a typical teacher in a below or above average educational institute in this part of the world. Technological advancements have surely replaced whiteboards and textbooks with projector-multimedia screens and laptops, respectively, in elite schools and universities, but none of these innovations could evolve teaching methods that are to date as superannuated as ever. In the midst of all this confusion that makes every self-proclaimed teacher make such a claim, how can anyone even expect amelioration of the education system and the principles and methods of pedagogy?

I am very well aware of the denunciation that I would have to face in response to this article by public in general and educationists in particular. But this issue is important to me just as it is to the lion’s share of students who actually categorised their teachers into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ on World’s Teachers’ Day in order to decide whom to send best wishes, and whom to ignore. It is high time that teachers acknowledged the fraudulence of our laugher, the chicanery behind our choice of words, and treachery hidden in our acts. Along with realising the aforementioned, they must also cogitate on the causative agents because without mulling over the reasons behind it we cannot reach a deducible conclusion. This realisation and discernment is difficult to be savvied owing to the prevalent practices being commonplace since forever. However, some people have to cut the first turf someday so let those people be us, and that day today.

Let’s move from the scale of bad to worst and then compare it with the state of being the best. One category of these self-extolled teachers consists of hasty crammers who work to get paid simply for preparing their students for impending examinations without clearing which their lives might get jeopardised (this is what they are told!). Another group is that of vainglorious educationists who like to dictate — even to university-level students — and who never allow any student to utter a word that might gainsay the order in which they would like to check, for instance, their students’ practical notebooks.

Promoting recreational activities is of paramount importance when it comes to taking care of students’ health, but making it a compulsion for girls to accompany their male classmates to Murree in a conservative society like ours where it is still difficult for girls belonging to middle-class families to convince their parents should definitely be accounted as unwillingness to tolerate difference of opinion. Instead of understanding their position and that of their parents, who are plainly afraid of this sexually frustrated society — after all, betrayal is where trust was — these ‘teachers’ teach them a lesson by deducting their marks from final term or semester exams, and giving them examples of those who were girls enough but still managed to get their permission slips signed.

Dear readers, we must realise that this form of harassment is being faced by our students in almost every institution and, yes, it is a form of harassment just like the one exercised by professors who keep beds in their staff rooms to ‘teach’ their female students a lesson of a lifetime.

The discrimination does not end here. We all know what a student’s life is all about: academic distinctions, participation and getting positions in co-curricular activities, and holding prestigious offices. “Not everything can be bagged by one student,” is often a justification given by decision-makers upon rejecting a worthy candidate, but what they are unable to hide is the secrecy with which the positions and offices keep revolving around a few chosen ones under the scheme known as favouritism. This preferential treatment may be given on the basis of caste, sect, skin colour (a fair-skinned head boy is obviously preferred over a dark-skinned lad), political or religious ideology, or merely because of one’s performance in another society. And sometimes, academic administrators do not even need a reason to hate you; at times, some humans are more equal than others.

Another prominent reason is the politics between teachers that does not remain confined to them but factually gets transmitted down to students. Every teacher develops a party of his/her followers in each class thus making it easier for others to distinguish their admirers from the rest. Each party in each class is led by a ‘leader of the house’ who also performs the duty of an informant and tattletale for the founder of the lobby, that is his/her role model teacher. These stoolpigeons indiscreetly blabbermouth about pettiest details of the entire class and faculty staff members, making complications for those who want to stay out of dirty politics and do not want their names to be dragged through the mud.

In all these years, having studied with numerous teachers, lecturers and professors, I have identified two major causes behind these occurrences. First, quantity of study years, degrees and work experience being given preference over quality, the very same reason that has made the Higher Education Commission question the PhD degrees being awarded to research students in the country. The other is the reluctance to bring the change by being the change and being called the ‘black sheep’ by the rest.

Dear readers! I know what you must be thinking about my ‘character’ after reading the above-mentioned account. But believe me when I say that reading a specific writing depends on your choice but you have no choice in selecting your teachers and bearing with their conniptions and tantrums. Believe me when I say that despite the majority being the scapegrace, there does exist a minority comprising some teachers who literally burn themselves to enlighten the lives of their students. Believe me when I say that I have had the honour of attending the lectures delivered by such teachers who knew that it is not only the knowledge that is imparted but also a complete code of conduct that is practically demonstrated to students.

Imam Ali (AS) is accredited as one of the greatest learners and teachers of all times, and his quote verily sums up the entire institution called teaching: “Ask in order to understand; do not ask in order to find fault.”

Kudos to all those educationists who know what it means to be a teacher in the literal sense!

The writer is a student of Biotechnology