Teachers' Day is the perfect occasion to take stock of our education system and where it is headed

Every year we celebrateTeachers' Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was a distinguished philosopher, scholar, and the second President of India. He was also a prominent educator and believed deeply in the value of education. The significance of Teachers' Day lies in appreciating the immense contribution of teachers to society. Teachers are the main pillar that keeps our nation moving forward.   They not only provide knowledge to the students but also groom next-generation citizens.

The quality of the society can be deciphered from the contribution of good teachers. 

On teachers' day, students express their gratitude and respect for their teachers through various activities, such as organizing cultural programs, presenting cards and gifts, and delivering speeches. Many educational institutions also organize events and functions to honour their teaching staff. In between these celebrations, we often forget the philosophy of education emphasized by Dr.Radhakrishnan. Teachers' Day is a time to reflect on the current education scenario in the country and the changing roles of a teacher.

The educational philosophy proposed Dr Radhakrishnan by was deeply rooted in the belief that education is not merely a process of acquiring knowledge, but a means to cultivate a holistic and enlightened individual. Radhakrishnan believed in the holistic development of an individual. He emphasized that education should nurture not only intellectual growth but also moral, emotional, and spiritual development. He emphasized the importance of teachers in shaping the intellectual and moral character of students.  This emphasis on character formation was central to his vision of education.

Unfortunately in today's education, teachers have taken a back seat in delivering moral values to students. The human touch between teacher and student is hardly seen in their relationship. There was a time when a teacher donned not only the role of a knowledge provider but also a parent. They could even remember the details of family members of their students. Even if a student bunks off the class, teachers used to catch these fellows from movie halls and parks. But with changing times, this culture has drastically shifted, mostly because of the attitudinal change that happened to parents.

Similarly, during earlier periods teachers not only discussed the syllabus but also many topics related to values in life.

Most of the time these values get imbibed into the sub-conscious mind of the student that helps in grooming a good future citizen. Every student remembers these values taught by teachers till the end of life.

With the mushrooming of private educational institutions, even the management and teachers forget the importance of values. The only thing these institutions focus on is to make students successful in competitive examinations and making money. Even teachers have become corrupted because of this. They act in a partisan manner to satisfy the needs of the management, fearing loss of jobs.

The hands of these teachers are tightly bound by the management and they don't enjoy the academic freedom their predecessors enjoyed two decades back.

The higher number of crimes that involve educated people, and increasing malpractices in every sector by the educated people point to our faulty education system.

 When someone points out a corruption charge in society, be it against a politician or a government employee, it indirectly points to a teacher who moulded them. Value-based education is the need of the hour.  Education coupled with moral values empowers individuals to make ethical decisions, even in complex or ambiguous situations for the betterment of society. 

 (The writer is an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; views are personal)