Wednesday | 15 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Wednesday | 15 January 2025 | Epaper

Question of teacher's morality

Reality behind rhetoric

Published : Monday, 8 January, 2018 at 12:00 AM  Count : 520
Haradhan Ganguly
Some electronic media were busy with programmes on teacher's morality during the past few weeks. Some known talkers and retired education officers including a secretary were loud in giving sermon on teachers that they should have high moral value in their profession. Their undaunted way of presentation and advice definitely enchanted anyone who things it most pertinent of the order of the day.
It echoed in my ear the same as we are accustomed to read our short stories. A village there lived a poor teacher with a high morale. But you will never hear a rich teacher lived in a village. Just like a poor maulavi sab and Brahmin priest.
Sorry we failed to hear from those are still in teaching profession. Their opinions and living experiences served us more authentic and it would be more representative. Teachers must be of high morale. No single person you will find in the world who would come to debate it.
But what tells the reality is the basic question and those retired education officers know it very well that during their regime the very structure and system they opted for, go in opposite for teachers to be morally high.
Now after retirement they are safely vocal on teacher's morality. The servicing period of a teacher is full of contradictions and anomalies. From joining to retirement- all the way a teacher has to face immoral trajectories and has to compromise with all these. How a teacher will keep his moral values high in class room while his structure of job is contradictory and at every door step he is the victim of bureaucratic entangle?
He has to compromise with all these either by spending speed money or by maintaining relation with political power, big shots or he has to be relative of big power or he has to compromise with local powers. Doing all these how a teacher could be a man of high morale in his classroom. Even how he will give unstinted efforts to make him up to date and efficient when his very appointment was triggered by compromise either with local powers or with high officials and here speed money and relation play major role.
A man of quality but penniless would have no space at all. Then for a job in private primary, school or college he will be bound to sell out his movable and immovable properties. In this race, what we see a comparatively weak in wealth would be knocked around behind a strong one, though that poor has excellent academic background.
On the first day of the New Year, the front page of print media featured a report title like this, "English, Math Exams: Lack of quality teachers behind poor show." The report painted a grim picture of a drop in the pass rate in the Junior School Certificate (JSC) exams under the eight general education boards. The main reason behind the sub-standard performance of the examinees has been deemed by experts to the lack of qualified teachers. Can we say where lies the moral question in the entire process? How an inefficient man got his entrance into a job being a teacher and why?
In other news, on December 31, teachers and employees of non-MPO (Monthly Pay Order) educational institutions started a fast-till-death programme after staging demonstrations for five consecutive days near the National Press Club. Around 200 teachers started the strike in front of the club. According to media source, the number of non-MPO educational institution is 5242 where around 80000 teachers are working without any pay, some for more than a decade.
It is due to Prime Minister Shekh Hasina's generosity, the stalemate has been broken. However, why such a situation will be cropped up in education? How these 80000 teachers were able to maintain and keeping high their 'teacherly' value in their professional duty?
Yes, our long history in this regard was very bright when teachers were the social leaders. Irrespective of their socially economic status, they enjoyed one type of social respect. But in the era of neo-liberalism those days are gone away. Now idealism is beautiful. But it is to be judged by market value. Teaching profession is success or failure, is to be judged by market value judgment and high morality is kept ensured therein.
So, in education maintaining moral values does not depend on teachers only, it also depends on structure of the entire education system from where teachers are being regulated. That is to be addressed first. No teacher gets proper respect in secretariat where they throng to keep their jobs unhindered in any form. So how teachers would nourish high moral pursuits where entire structure has bogged them down in the clay of dishonour.
Teachers are coming into their profession from two streams. One is government for which there is Public service commission (PSC) and other regulatory bodies and for private there are also bodies where managing committee of the institutions play pivotal role. Teachers in government colleges got a fare scope to be appointed. But this is the end.
From then on, no justice is prevalent until the end of his or her professional life. No debate less system works in their transfer, promotion and value judgement. There junior becomes senior and senior junior. One subject gets early and speedy promotion and other is left behind. Injustices are so pervasive in the professional life of the government college teachers that cannot be spelt out in this space.
The insincerity of the authority concerned to adopt a system devoid of injustices is still very far. Only power, maintaining nearness to power, looking after the personal interest and speed money determine everything that means promotion, transfer, posting and other rights of the teachers. Here talking about morality of government college teachers is nothing but a joke.
A senior teacher leaves his profession as assist. Or associate professor. A junior becomes professor. This is the scenario there. Still on system embracing batch wise and irrespective of post vacancies and subjects authority has failed to introduce to keep the rights of the teachers high.
Government school teachers are also experiencing the same agony. At this teachers are losing 'teacherly' quality and becoming sly canvassers. In private arena, teachers are victims of the whims of the managing committees of the institutions. So, could we say where lies the question of morality and what they are transcending to taught.
A teacher by power could easily hold two posts, one is vice principal and other is principal though he or she is apt for the post of vice principal. Since he or she is associate professor and post of principal is for professor. So address system and structure first, then demand high morality from the teachers. Otherwise, our expectations would become gaseous.
The writer is a freelance contributor,  and can be reached at gharadhan@gmail.com






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