The Hindu Business Line : Status of teachers

On September 5 every year, teachers across the country are recognised for their untiring efforts. While they may receive roses and ribbons, our appreciation of their role usually does not extend beyond this single day. On the contrary, widespread dissatisfaction is revealed in comments like, “Meera’s teacher gives so much homework,” “Surya’s teacher makes so many grammatical mistakes” and “My child’s foundation in math is so weak because of his teacher.”

When children fail to learn, parents first point fingers at teachers. In addition to coping with parental expectations, which are sometimes unfairly high, teachers are at the receiving end in other instances too. When students misbehave, principals ask teachers for an explanation. When tests papers are returned, students gripe about unfair correction.

In short supply

In such a situation, it is hardly surprising that a number of schools, including those paying high salaries, are facing teacher shortages. Most graduates are attracted to prestigious and lucrative fields. As a result, few youngsters are opting for the age-old profession of teaching.

The US and UK, also facing a dearth of talented teachers, are recruiting staff from countries like India, thus furthering the shortage at home. As the supply of teachers becomes acute, schools are forced to recruit candidates who are not ideally suited to the job.

The top performers

In September 2007, McKinsey & Company published a report analysing why some school systems in the world were top performers on international assessments consistently. McKinsey studied 25 school systems that included the world’s top ten performers. Even though the countries differed vastly in terms of culture, politics and school systems, three factors were common to all high-performing nations. One, the right people were selected to become teachers in these countries. Second, they provided teachers with intensive training and adequate support. Finally, schools tried to provide the best possible instruction to every child. The report emphasised that a key factor responsible for student outcome is the quality of teachers.

Receiving substandard instruction in primary school is most damaging as a poor academic foundation only leads to a downward spiral in later grades.

To attract talented people to teaching, teacher training courses are highly selective in top performing countries. Trainees are recruited from the cream of graduates, usually the top one-third. This is in stark contrast to our country where “school teachers are not considered an intellectual workforce” (Kumar, 2008). The study also found that it is essential to pay a good starting salary that is comparable with other competitive professions. In India, even though pay scales for teachers have risen, their starting salaries remain much lower than initial remuneration packages offered by corporate companies.

Schools in these countries typically look for the following characteristics while recruiting teachers. They prefer individuals with strong academic skills, especially in literacy and numeracy, excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a deep-seated desire to teach.

Once teachers are recruited, they receive hands-on experience of working with children while training to become teachers. The report found that teacher training is effective only when it is integrated with practical training. During the early stages of their careers, teachers are also mentored by more experienced colleagues.

Ensuring quality

In India, teacher training tends to be removed from actual classroom practice. High quality education involves two aspects. The first is a sound, meaningful and effective curriculum. The second involves ensuring that the curriculum is delivered effectively. The status of teachers today is vastly different from how the ‘Guru’ was revered in Vedic times. Unless we restore the respect that teaching rightly deserves and elevate the status of teachers, we are endangering the very pulse and future of India — our children.

(The author is the Founder & Director of PRAYATNA, Centre for Educational Assessment, Bangalore and Chennai. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in)

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