A teacher is the basic element of the education sector. It is vital to train teachers and provide them adequate salaries. While we see this happening in private-sector prestigious schools where students study for their O and A levels, life of teachers in government-run institutions has very different dimensions, with a good salary and training being luxuries one can only think about without any hope of actually getting anywhere close.
As a first step, the relevant department needs to bring reforms in teachers’ recruitment process. In the recently conducted test for the recruitment of primary and junior elementary teachers in Sindh, one witnessed a number of flaws, different criteria for the candidates of villages and cities, and changes in policy during the process.
There must be a uniform recruitment policy for all candidates, because individuals who live in remote areas may have got their early education in their villages, but they do receive higher education in the cities. This puts candidates on an even keel and there should be no leniency for candidates from the rural areas.
Besides, those who do get teaching jobs must be trained by experts in the field. This should be mandatory so that the newly-appointed teachers may nurture the students with conceptual learning and positive outcomes by understanding the psyche of their students.
The education that is currently provided to students is not ideal, and practical work is hardly a routine in academic institutions. Although we wish to see our students compete at the international level, our teachers are bound to deliver the contents of the textbook at best. In this scenario, how could our students compete at the global level?
The curriculum and outdated textbooks must be updated. The subject of Information Technology (IT) must be included in the curriculum in practical terms. We often complain that other countries are ahead of us in technology and other soft and hard skills. How can one even nurture hopes of making progress in the modern era when IT is not even taught to students at the school level?
Those who know nothing of the anxiety and frustration of the teachers blame them for not being good enough in terms of promoting critical thinking. Such people need to consider the simple fact that with a salary as low as Rs35,000 per month, the teachers are struggling to make ends meet, especially when they have to travel miles in unreliable public transport every day, and arrive at school already exhausted and frustrated. We need to work on these issues if we are really serious about reforming the education sector that is vital for the future of the nation.
DOLAT CHANDANI
MITHI
