Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) once said, “I have been descended as a teacher “. This Hadith (prophet’s saying) is enough to prove the worth of a teacher in any given society. Teachers are the people who have freed Nations from the yokes of slavery by sowing the seeds of revolution in their minds and have been instrumental in the rise of nations and societies. Teachers have either been great leaders or statesmen of the world. This world would have been a marred by ignorance, superstition and darkness if there had been no teachers. According to Quran, Allah became the first teacher of Adam (Peace be upon him) then angels taught Him the names of various things. Thus, this noble profession has descended from heavens.
Since times immemorial, the legacy of teaching has passed from one generation to the other, and this continuity will never cease. A nation is not great by its armies, wealth and natural resources but by its dedicated and honest teachers. Here, I am reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson who says that ‘Not gold but only men can make a people great and strong’. If a nation has plenty of natural resources but has no required work force to harness and exploit those resources, that nation can’t ride the path of progress and prosperity. Only good teachers can give a nation the honest, dedicated and skilled workforce to exploit its natural resources to the best possible level otherwise the rich resources might be just waste.
Man has explored new vistas of life. From the bottoms of the earth to the heights of Skies, man has touched and explored unimaginable peaks of success. We have advanced in every field of life to exceedingly high levels and if all this human progress will be put to one phrase, it won’t be science and technology but people, well learned people, people who teach young minds and mould them towards positivity and progress.
It is the teacher who ignites critical thinking and inquisitive nature in a student. A teacher not only transfers the treasure of knowledge to the next generation but stirs the conscience of a nation, and helps its people to develop mentally and intellectually. It is the teacher who enables us to think rationally and makes us logical and rationale. World is witness to the fact that great pupil are produced by great teachers only, and those pupils have brought exemplary changes in the world.
Besides the development of scientific temper among children, it is the teacher who works hard for our social, moral and economic reformation.
In the recent times, we have been facing the pangs of growing indecency and lewdness. Values are crumbling and people have fallen to the lowest of low. This is the state were man is a man by looks only. Here, the role of a teacher is significantly increased manifold. Only a teacher can liberate us from the clutches of indecency and deterioration. Teachers can revive the legacy of moral uprightness and honesty in our people and the changing times have made this profession more challenging
A teacher must not forget to impart values and virtues to children in particular and to society in general and thus do away with any confinements in realizing the unlimited realms of his/ her domain. Our Teachers can’t afford to produce robots from colleges and universities who can work like machines albeit ethics and morals.
Unfortunately, the teacher’s community in our part of globe is treated in an entirely different and obnoxious manner. Teachers here don’t lack in intellectual mettle and capabilities but the ineffective system in vogue rendered them helpless and vulnerable. While a teacher is a teacher 24×7, here the role is reduced from 10 to 4.The former is not worried about any requirement, amenity or comfort like food shelter, remuneration and other necessities as they are taken very well care of while as the later is treated as a simple government servant that too without even basic salaries for months to-gather. Thus, the intellectual acumen of the later never reaches to its zenith. The former spends his spare time in libraries while as the later is seen busy in non-academic jobs. Here, our teachers should break the stereotype and equip themselves with changing pedagogies and techniques. They should develop the habit of reading which can enhance and sharpen their capacities.
Our teachers must acquaint themselves with the changing and latest trends in teaching-learning processes. Though we don’t have rich libraries and reading rooms at par with developed countries of the world but we must not leave it to authorities only and do our bit in this regard.
A tragic irony has struck our part of globe where teachers don’t consider themselves learner’s. This attitude hinders the academic performance of our teachers which ultimately hits our children who are supposed to assume important positions in the tomorrow of our society. Teachers lay the foundation of a nation and they must ensure theirs!
The writer is a teacher, columnist, poet, Orator and social activist. He can be reached at mushtaqhurra143gmail.com
