India has been a country with a rich culture and heritage. When the west was busy in ushering in an industrial revolution, equipping themselves with guns to flex their muscles, we were precoccupied with our traditions. They had their great industries; we had our universities Nalanda, Vikramshila, Ujjaini, and Taxilla, the great seats of learning known all over the world for the holistic system of education they imparted. Yet, standing at this crucial juncture, one cannot hlep think, what have we done to our tradition and cultural heritage? A critic would term it as 'cliched', a sceptic would wonder at its worth and our students would jeer at it.
Yet, being a teacher, I cannot overlook the changing dynamics of the teacher student relationship. Gone are those days when even the princes and the nobility were sent to the guru's ashram and were subjected to frugality under the strict supervision of the guru. They were learned. They were wise but they too were fallible. Yet they received unconditional loyalty and respect. With the spread of education, when it was opened for one and all, came the 'pathsalas', more practical, more plausible. The teacher taught and the pupils repeated their lessons in unison. The teachers were knowledgeable. They were strict, Sometimes, perhaps, bordering on cruelty. Yet the society thought that "the love he bore to learning was at fault"" (The Village School Master by Oliver Goldsmith), not he. Spare the rod and spoil the child' was the maxim of the day.
The latter half of the 20th century brought in the high priests of the education system. The collective wisdom of the think tanks led to the creation of the fundamentals of the child centric education system. The much exploited students were relieved. The overhauling of the entire system brought home rich dividends. Being not too, old myself, I too, am a product of this child centric system and have revelled in it.
But today I look on in horror. The degeneration of the term, at the wake of the 21st century stuns me. What our ancestors envisioned was the shifting of the fulcrum from 'teacher centric' to 'child centric, not 'anti teacher'. The principles of the system were meant to cater to the needs of the students, not their whims.
When they laid down the foundation of this system not once did they contemplate deleting the proverb, Failure is the pillar of success' from the dictionary. Then why is teacher bashing the norm today? When a student makes a mistake, it is a student who makes a mistake, but when a teacher makes a mistake, why do we say, 'teachers make mistakes. When a prefect corrects his fellow junior in school, it is enforcement of discipline but when a teacher reprimands a student it traumatizes him. The entire teaching fraternity today stands hostage at the hands of our mean distorted interpretation of an otherwise wonderful system. A 17 year 11 month old student walks out scot free while a 21 year old teacher stands behind the bars for the same wrong doing. Perhaps, mysterious are man's ways, or is it a mere justification for creating Frankensteins?
Respect is a two way street. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. My heart actually cries out for those students, who, armoured in their new found confidence today know not what they do.
Yes, we have our limitations; we have our shortcomings. But "To err is human'. Cant we expect a little more respect from you, other than on teachers day when your superfluous words greet us? Don't we deserve to be recognized for the effort that we put in? Its your call, my friend. Take your pick. You can lie to everyone but not to yourself.