By Brij Khandelwal, IANS,
Agra : Long before tuition shops sprung up in every bylane of this city of the Taj Mahal, there were legendary teachers who are still remembered with love and respect this Teachers Day.
Generations of students at the famous St John’s College still lovingly recall G.I. David and the passion he brought to the study of English literature. His old students here are sure the man they nicknamed Guddan Pyare is now up there delighting Shakespeare, Keats and Shelley with his love for their works.
Still representing the old order down here is R.P. Tiwari, at 73 the oldest D.Litt in this educational hub of north India, a man who has never missd a class and has never been late for one, according to his colleagues at RBS College.
School teachers leave a deeper impression, and probably the deepest has been left by Sister Dorothia at Asia’s oldest convent school St. Patrick’s, founded in 1842.
“It’s impossible to forget the way she mimicked Hitler,” recalls ex-student Mukta. “She was so loving and so passionate about the teaching of history.”
While recalling their favourite teachers, many academics talk about the commercialisation of education today.
“Today we have teachers, not gurus,” says retired wing commander H.S. Shisodia, 76, who has taught generations of officers for the Indian armed forces, and continues to teach today.
“The continuous erosion of moral values is a matter of concern. A student must be trained to resist the influence of immoral values.” That, to Shishodia, is the difference between a teacher and a guru.
Senior teacher of St Peter’s College Meera says: “Education today has been reduced to skill transfer technology, through various channels. The fundamental objectives of education have been lost sight of.
“The goal of education today is to get employed in a competitive market. Those who talk of values are frowned at and looked upon as dodos. Today there is lot of money in the teaching profession but this commercialisation has also drained it of its idealism.”
Meera added: “Teachers shouldn’t starve or be deprived of comforts. But they also need to realise that compared to many other professions, their role and responsibilities are different and perhaps more important for society.
“The need for mass literacy within a short span has built new pressures, but a balance has to be struck between quality and quantity. Without dreams, vision and idealism, education will only produce heartless people.”