TEACHERS: The Caretakers
of today are the Makers of
tomorrow’s Leaders
If the architects erect buildings
and alter the face of a city, teachers sketch out the map of the future
generation by shaping their perceptions, moulding their personalities and
chipping off the rough edges to present to the world well –cultivated
individuals. But is their contribution to the society duly rewarded? Perhaps
this question might have boggled many a minds and triggers off many queries.
Need for an amendment
If there is one thing that is as
consistent in the life of a teacher alongside the daily load of hard work, it
is the sighs over low salaries, and the never ending loads of correction work-
to say the least. There is always a time for necessary amendments; it may be
considered imperative to focus the honourable attention of every sane mind on the pressing issue with regard to the teachers’ salaries.
Cogs in a machine
Every now and then, the issue
concerning the teachers’ salaries is raised, but unfortunately not followed
with full force and vigour, perhaps because the teachers themselves, being
little short of becoming ‘cogs in a machine’ barely get time to create a
liveable balance between teaching assignments, homework assignments, examination
corrections, coursework, projects and the list may extend endlessly. Though all
feel the utter meagreness of their service reward- a service that requires
quality, dedication, commitment, honesty, hard work, sacrifice and above all,
time, they can only give a barely audible expression to their woes. It is not
that their cause falls short of recognition by themselves, or the public, or
the concerned authorities, but as I said, the cause has not been made more than
being ‘barely audible’ even though it is an issue that lies at the forefront of
every society.
Why among the lowest paid?
Time and again, a very simple and
basic question, raises itself in my mind, sometimes, very forcefully, namely,
that why is the teaching profession among the lowest paid professions all over
the world? With the exception of a very few countries such as Switzerland, to name
at least one, where the teachers are among the high salaried professionals,
teachers in the rest of the world are among the lowest paid.
The pillars of tomorrow’s world
Are the teachers not doing the
most important job of cultivating the young minds in their state of infancy,
grooming them through the most formidable stages of their young lives? Are the
teachers not responsible for the character formation and the personality
development of the young generation? Are the teachers not responsible for
strengthening the conscience and morality of the young minds who are the
leaders of tomorrow? Are the teachers not the saviours of the young minds which
need to be carefully and safely steered through a lot of mirk in our modern
lives? Are they not the builders of the “pillars of tomorrow”? If they are,
then why such a low reward for them?
The basics
The minimum salary of teachers in
the UAE is set close to Dh. 2000, and such is the case world over. With the
ongoing inflation, the economic crunch and all other kinds of economic strains,
how are the teachers expected to provide quality education and produce strong
leaders and citizens when their own quality of life is far from ensured and
insured? Within the Dh. 2000 or over bracket, they are not only expected to
feed their own mind and body, but also raise their families, as the vocation of being a
teacher does not call for a state of singleness! Are they expected to live all
their life below levels of decency, in sharing accommodation? How are they
expected to provide a good education to their own children? A class of people
who are devoted to providing education to the society’s children do have a
right to give a decent education to their own children. How can the teachers
have a fair chance of sending their children to expensive and the best places
of learning with their meagre salaries?
High Time
I would suggest that it is high
time that some respectability be granted to our teachers. It cannot be denied
that social prestige automatically follows the economic status. How can the
teaching profession gain respect and prestige when teaching is among the lowest
paid professions?
Myself being from the same field,
I know that providing quality education is a spiritual job. It takes the life
out of people to guide a class to write correctly, to think openly and to feel
diversely. The tediousness of making each student understand each and every
concept, be it Maths or Science, Economics or Statistics, the labour involved,
the energy drained and the stress undergone would be vouchsafed by any teacher-
whether he or she teaches the primary or the secondary school.
Yes, no matter what the salary,
but the satisfaction that a ‘good’, or ‘a hundred percent result’, or ‘a student
distinction’ brings to a teacher, may find no match. In fact, a teacher’s
satisfaction is no less than that of a doctor at the recovery of a patient.
Both the professions are considered to be equally noble but why so much of
disparity in the salaries? Without undermining the importance of any
profession, it cannot be denied that a teacher’s contribution to the society is
definitely very large.
A matter of distress
It appears to be a matter of great
distress that such highly qualified professionals should be placed so low economically;
even certain salesmen or semi-qualified people are seen to be fetching much
higher salaries. It is true that to be a part of a business firm worth millions
of turnover has the prerogative of being good paymasters- but what stops the
social system and the education system to recognise the contribution of the
teachers -but for whom the world would be doomed in darkness?
Teachers
distribute the light of knowledge; surely they deserve a better deal!
It is not surprising that in
order to compensate for their low income, many teachers resort to private
coaching, which certainly offers the economic
compensation but, at the same time, it begins another chain reaction that may
not be totally supportive of a good education system. With three to four hours
of private coaching and a heavy overload of teaching hours during the school
hours, and the responsibilities of a family, how can a single human being be
expected to do justice to one’s professional and personal demands? Very often, on account of private coaching, justice is not done to classroom teaching.
Yet at the same time, while Teachers work extremely hard in order to obtain the best KHDA grading for their respective schools, it is important that the ground reality about a decent sustenance level for the
teaching community be sorted out.
A stigma
More than often there is a stigma
attached to a teacher’s image. One hears people referring in near sarcastic
tones,
“Oh, she is merely a teacher!” Men, who opt for this profession,
because of their passion for teaching may have to undergo huge financial
distress, especially if they are the sole bread-winners; the economic returns
in the chosen profession being so meagre, most of them may have to resort to
private coaching.
It is a pity that people with ‘Doctorate’
degrees and ‘Masters’ degrees fall into the lowest paid category. At times, it
may be argued that with less than half a number of teaching days in a year and
so many holidays, how is it justified to raise the salaries of the teachers? Well,
here facts need a careful scrutiny. The amount of correction time put in by an
average teacher at home, plus extra coaching and extra assistance in projects
should provide a sufficient answer to any doubts whatsoever with regard to the
requirements of the job and the much deserving rewards that the vocation calls
for.
Looking on the brighter side
In fact, on behalf of being a
resident of the UAE, one of the most upcoming countries of the world, I
sincerely hope that this country shall honour the cause of expanding education
to the furthest forefronts, and set up a unique example by providing positive
solutions. To issues such as ‘Low Salaries’ for Teachers. Hopefully, it should
appear as an accessible possibility to imagine the teachers’ salaries to start
with a minimum range of Dh 8000, plus free education for their children, free
bus facility, a decent accommodation and other regular perks. (Not to forget
that the recent monthly bus fares per child soar up to Dhs 800!)
Providing the best quality
In order to improve the standard
of education and to standardize education, it is imperative that good, inspiring
and well qualified teachers should be attracted to this profession. Considering
the external influences that operate on our present generation, after the
parents and the home influence, it is the schools and teachers who can exert a
strongly positive impact on our youth, guiding them towards firmer and higher
goals.
A two-way communication
Any school counsellor would
support the view that the students do look for positive guidance, inspiration
and advice from the teachers, and once, their confidence is won over by their
guides and supervisors, it may become a positive two-way communication, wherein
both the students and teachers benefit from the interaction, the students from
the correct guidance and the teachers, from the positive results.
It is important for the students
to respect their teachers and the key point in furthering this cause is getting
our teachers the well-deserved social prestige, which fortunately or
unfortunately, directly or indirectly, is connected with how much ‘dough’ does one make at the end of the
day. Money does make the world go round! And ironically, there seems to be a subtle
link between the salary that one earns and the respect that one earns! A matter
of misfortune though, but there does seem to be a set ratio- proportion between
the salary and respect! The more the salary, the more the respect! Woof!
The society has to give the teachers a higher
social prestige, which follows a better economic status.
No doubt the economic crunch is
having its impact world over but just as the Dubai government is trying to
create a balance in its economic planning; it can show more generosity in
the field of education.
It is about time that no time is
wasted in putting the student community on the right track and in consolidating
the confidence of the teaching community by safeguarding their interests. All
of us, the residents of this wonderful country have full faith in the goodwill
and effective planning of the rulers and cherish the dream that Dubai is still
a place that can work wonders, create miracles and set an example for the world
by taking the first step in doing the long overdue justice to the builders of
tomorrow’s leaders- namely, the ‘Reverend Teachers’ by granting them
a respectable pay scale.
Mrs. Pushpinder Kaur
Comments and feedback would be highly appreciated.
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