We all have heard the quote “If there were no teachers, All other professions would not exist” As we celebrate #HappyTeachersDay we forget the difficulties teachers are facing nowadays. From job appointments to salary to pensions. So, being a teacher, I decided today to write a blog post on the issues & problems of teachers which i heard about and also some of them experienced in my teaching profession.
So here are they as follows:
The very first problem after completion of the Diploma or Degree Course in D.T.Ed or B.Ed/M.Ed respectively is the appointment of the teachers in the school. Now, this process has changed from time to time and this also depends on the type of institution a teacher wants to work as a teacher.
An institution such as private schools offers jobs based on interviews and by looking at the calibre and marks of the students. But these jobs are restricted to low salaries where a teacher earns less amount of salary and it is almost impossible to bear the cost of his expenses.
Government jobs have good salaries but it’s almost hard for teachers to get appointments, especially for teachers coming from a poor or middle-class background. Though there might be some meritorious teachers who got good marks in their diplomas and/or degree with good teaching skills but unfortunately they don’t have money to pay as a bribe. Now the reason why i am saying this is nothing but the reality and many of you might be aware of this situation. To get a government job you’ve to pay a sum of Thousands and Lakhs of rupees to the school society and educational officers who’re in charge of your appointment.
Bribe has been very common nowadays, especially in the Education field where the primary focus for any Government level institution is to earn money. The education system has become the number 1 money-making business and it’s very unfortunate to see that the government officials who already have very good salaries from the government are taking thousand of money as a bribe from the teachers to get appointed in the school.
The newly appointed teachers also go through this practice because he/she wants a permanent job that can help his/her to survive with respect in society and earn a good amount of income every month which helps in running the house and spending the hard-earned money in the schooling of the kids, EMIs and Loans taken from the bank(s). The teachers also know that there would be no pension for those teachers who got appointed after the year 2005. So the teachers also support the bribe practice as an investment. They know that the money they are now giving to the officials or school/society owners can be earned back in 2-3 years.
Entrance exams such as TET and CTET are just another issue which has been imposed by several states in India to stop bribes and corruption and will give appointments to only those teachers who will crack or pass the exams. But unfortunately, as it is seen in Maharashtra State corruption has not decreased but increased enormously. As, recently, there were many cases found of making fake exam results of the teachers who gave exams in MAHA-TET Exams.
I will request the Government of Maharashtra and the Government of India to cancel entrance exams like TET and grant jobs to teachers based on certificates of their respective Diploma and Degree Courses.
When a student took admission to a B.Ed course the candidate has already been selected as per the merit level and has also passed the degree by giving exams then why the student has to appear for an entrance exam to get the job? And at what cost, where there is so much corruption involved?
Many teachers who have been working for several years unpaid are losing faith in this noble profession. They also think they wouldn’t get permanent and might lose their job. So they are switching their profession to another profession and as a result, our generation is lacking good teachers in school. How we as a society can grow if they’re no good teachers in the school? A teacher only wants to earn a suitable income to help and support their family. The Government and society should support a person to become a teacher not just because they would earn a good amount of money but for his/her noble profession.
It’s high time that the Government should understand these measures, try hard to stop the practices being done by corrupt officers and resolve these issues as soon as possible because Education is the key to the future. If there are no Teachers in the school, there will be no students and no school.