8/9/2019 I Belong to a Country Where

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I belong to a country where..

It is sad but true, cruel yet happening at the deepest level, unbelievable yet you need to accept it.Education's standard in our country is getting deteriorated day after day, year after year. Earlier,

about fifty years back, those who were bright and studious were taking up teaching as a

profession. The reason was simple: respectful and a dignified living if not lavish (same is true formedical field) was assured. Students and parents would echo this statement with all their senses,Guru Devo Bhav. Even Kabeer said that if Guru and God, both come together in front of him,

he will bow first to Guru and then to God. Reason is that because of Guru, he could find God.Now, the kind of living our most of the teachers are making is heart wrenching. Worst is that

they cannot share their grievances with anybody. How many of us will believe that in this timewhen our government is failing everywhere to control the inflation, yet, boasts of its

accomplishments in terms of creating more opportunities, we have significant number ofteachers, who are working on the salary of Rs 500-Rs 600/month? The school which is having

this kind of pay structure is paying their principal a salary of about Rs 1500/month.

You will possibly jump out of your chair, if I tell you that this is the situation in U.P. and Biharand could be at other places also in India. More so, you can start biting your nails, if I tell youthat in Mumbai itself there are schools where teachers are working at the salary of Rs 1500-

2000/month. The saddest part is that there are schools where teachers are made to sign on thevoucher which says that they are getting more salary whereas they are getting almost half of the

mentioned amount. I ask to each concerned person that if this is the situation, how our teachersand their family will make their living? In such a compromised way, what kind of self respect,

confidence and passion they will inculcate in their students?

How safe our children are in hands of such teachers who themselves are struggling to earn theirbasic needs with dignity. They cannot focus while teaching in the class, and no wonder their

students will not learn in the desired manner. We will have to send our children for tuitionbecause we also believe somewhere that the study done at school is no good or maybe

insufficient. Parents are complaining about the fee hike but are they aware or do they care ofwhat the teachers are going through. I believe the teacher- parent associations in every school

must be formed and this point needs to be raised by parents.

In government aided schools, you need to pay bribe up to 2 lacs to get a permanent teachers job.Now, when teacher is getting his own job through this way, what can we expect him to teach to

our children? When the corruption has entered at the school level then you can understand thesituation of other government establishments.

Values, Morale and Integrity all will have meaning only when we do justice with the professioncalled teaching.