Geetanjali Krishna: Reflections on Teachers' Day

On Teachers' Day, September 5, I spent the morning reflecting upon all the teachers who'd shaped my life. But then, Seema came along and gave me a reality check on teachers and education.

Seema is one of the hardest workers I've met. Her husband has a roadside eatery for which she cooks every morning. Then she leaves home to cook for three families in the neighbourhood. "My husband and I've always believed that our illiteracy has been the reason why we haven't been able to rise in life," she said. "That is why we've worked so hard to ensure that our son and daughter study and make something of themselves!" It was her son, however, who was giving her sleepless nights these days.

"He passed Class XII this year with barely 40 per cent marks," she said. "We were disappointed with his poor marks, but resigned. Being unlettered, we couldn't give him the support he needed. How could we blame him?" She blamed her son's schoolteachers instead. "In government schools, teachers hardly teach. Some of them actually suggest that if students really want to learn something, they should join their private tuition classes!" she said. Further, in the crucial classes of XI and XII, Seema said that her son barely got any career guidance from his school or his teachers. "Consequently, he ended up missing the dates of entrance examinations and form submissions," she says. Bereft of guidance, he ended up relying on the internet to enroll for a BA course by correspondence. "We were very clear that he had to study further to get ahead in life," she said. "We didn't want him to take up a job like the other kids in his school!"

A few days ago, her son told her that since correspondence college gave him so much free time, he wanted to take up a part time job as a pizza delivery boy. He'd been offered a job for Rs 7,000 per month, he told them proudly. Seema and her husband weren't exactly thrilled at the idea. "We asked him to focus on his studies instead. He left the house in a huff, saying that we didn't understand him at all..." she recounted. Seema fears that her son will end up on the same path that her husband and she are on. "Pizza delivery seems fancy and modern to him, but in reality it is a menial job. I'm afraid that once he takes up something like this, he won't study at all. And soon, he'll become like us, putting an end to all the dreams we'd dreamed for him..." she says.

Her son is still giving her the classic silent treatment, she says. And all she can do is silently rail against a system that has failed her. "He did not receive the education or guidance from teachers that our prime minister has said all Indian children deserve," she says. "His teachers failed him! And now he's passed with such a low percentage - he has few career choices but a lot of aspirations..."

After she left, my eye fell upon an article in the newspaper criticising the prime minister's decision to speak to students across India on the occasion of Teachers' Day. The writer said it was great that Narendra Modi wanted to connect with students, but questioned his choosing the occasion of Teachers' Day to do this. It seemed like nit-picking to me, a criticism for the sake of criticism. Thinking of Seema and her son, the question that came to my mind was a more basic one - why do we as a nation glorify our teachers great and small, but fail to ensure the quality of education they provide?