The great Indian academic anomaly

It appears authorities in the education system strive hard to stifle its growth instead of nurturing it

Almost a decade ago, in a nondescript village of North India, there lived a guy who was pursuing his M.A.

He failed in his exams repeatedly because he could not wake up early morning to reach the examination hall. He took four years to complete the two-year programme.

At 30, when he could not find a job, his influential and reputed dad, bribed the local education authorities and confirmed his job at a local village school.

Today he is a primary teacher. Though not excited about his job, he says it pays him enough to run his family. Even today, he ditches school when he is too lazy to wake up.

Another teacher, a lady I know, who is passionate about teaching, will quit her job in a few weeks from now.

The local board of education her school is affiliated to, has introduced a ruling where a teacher with a B.Ed. degree cannot teach primary classes. That teacher would have to pursue a D.Ed. In effect, you are over qualified to teach primary classes, so even if you have a B.Ed qualification, you have to pursue your D.Ed. Ridiculous!

Here is another one. An international professor who came back to India to teach and be closer to his family has been denied jobs at several education institutions because he does not hold a Ph.D. from an Indian institution. This, when every Indian education institution is crying hoarse about acute shortage of faculty members.  He has decided to go back.

Strange are the ways of Indian education system. It appears the authorities in education system strive harder to stifle growth than contributing to the growth of the sector.

And when I meet many teachers, highly frustrated and unhappy with their jobs, it makes me wonder the kind of next generation we would have in place.

Many schools which are in the business for monetary gains, recruit anyone to be a teacher. This way they do not have to comply with the payment norms of the government, too.  

So when the Supreme Court calls ad-hoc teachers ‘Shiksha Sahayaks’ (helpers) as ‘Shiksha shatrus’ (enemies),”one cannot agree less. According to a study, in 2008-2009, on average, 45 per cent of primary teachers had not studied beyond the 12th grade.

Thanks to the state governments and their policies, teachers appointed on ad hoc basis in primary schools without following proper qualification criteria is here to ruin the entire education system and future of the country.

What is appalling is that nothing is being done to make teaching an attractive job option.

Many are in the profession because they could not find another job, specially women,who consider this as a perfect job to pursue post marriage. A few teachers that I personally know, find the teaching job, which comes loaded with vacations, most comfortable to manage a house and a career. What else? It gives you pension too during your old age.  

The Supreme Court is absolutely right when it says its concern is quality of education and kind of education we are imparting to our next generation.

Because the ones who are supposed to better our education system seem least bothered. And the ones who do want to teach and better the system are being driven away.