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PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT IN TEACHERS: CHALLENGES AHEAD

JOY KIRT SIDHU

PRINCIPAL
HIMALAYA COLLEGE OF EDUATION
RANWAR, KARNAL: 132001
+91-9996020762

ABSTRACT
Teaching encompasses each and every facet of human life. To leave out anything would
be rendering it incomplete. As professionals it has become imperative that we see the
changes in the very social structure we live in. The skills and competencies needed to
survive have changed. The teacher is no longer ‘a repository of all wisdom’ because the
very concept of wisdom has changed. Training the teacher to be able to meet the
changing world order needs scientific vision and humane perception. The technological
advances and the changes they have brought about have affected the economic structure.
The role of women and the expectations from the members of the modern society has
changed. The very basis of society, the family is undergoing a total change and this has
to be kept foremost in mind before thinking of anything related to education. We have to
work together to develop the professional ethos and standards of teaching so that the
demands of the new world order are met satisfactorily. Survival of the learners is at stake
and the onus of empowering them is on the professional acumen of the teachers.

Our first commitment and aim should be complete elimination of child labour through
Universalisation of Education. All children must attend full-time formal day schools. Any
child out of school is a child labourer. All labour is hazardous and harms the overall
growth and development of the child. There must be total abolition of child labour. Any
law regulating child work is unacceptable. Any justification perpetuating the existence of
child labour must be condemned. It all can happen with the unflinching support of the
community groups who are constantly motivated to join the crusade against child labour.
The parents, community leaders, ward members, panchayat presidents, youth, local
political leaders, Self Help Groups and TEACHERS.

The professionalism of the teachers has to help them overcome suspicion of changing
methodology of teaching, egoism, uncooperative attitude, complaining nature, insulting
children, neglecting schools and irregularity. The teachers have to be involved in the
process of planning. Positive teachers should be contacted regularly and roped in to help
in the entire process. Reflection with teachers on the fact that children are the basis for
schools and without children, teachers and schools will become redundant and vice-
versa is needed. Teachers are the motivators and only they are trained and competent to
provide real education.

The evolution in teacher attitudes is needed and interaction with parents through
extensive meetings encouraged. Teachers must meet every parent in the village and
locality and motivate them to send their children to schools. Teachers have to respect
and welcome parents and community members to schools.
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EDUCATION
Education is one of the most important drivers of India's social and economic
development. Higher levels of literacy lead to greater economic output, higher
employment levels, better health, better social structures, and higher marks along a
number of other development indicators. More specifically, the impact of educating girls
and women has been shown to result in rapid improvements in family planning, nutrition,
health, and income and is seen as one of the best tools for promoting social and economic
development.
The 1986 National Policy on Education (NPE) first emphasized Universalization of
Elementary Education (UEE) as a national priority. Yet, despite a huge expansion in
India’s formal education system in the last few decades, there are still roughly 50-60
million children out of school in the age group 6-14 years, or nearly 25 percent of total
child population in the elementary age group.
The key challenges to achieving UEE are:
Access: The reasons for children being out-of-school are to do with lack of physical
access as well as social access. In several parts of the country, especially in small, remote
habitations, children still do not have access to schooling facilities and thus remain out of
school. Seasonal migration of families in search of work for several months every year is
another reason which deprives children the chance to go to school. In addition, a sizeable
proportion of children live in villages and habitations where formal schools exist, but due
to social reasons such as caste and gender they are either not allowed to go to school, or
not given the proper treatment in school.
Retention: This is an issue of serious concern. According to statistics 53% of children
drop out of school before completing the elementary level, or grade VIII. This high drop
out is due to poor functioning of schools, for example, dilapidated school buildings,
overcrowded classrooms, irregular attendance of teachers and children, lack of teaching
learning materials, ineffective teaching, unintelligible language used by the teachers and
the discriminatory attitude of teachers towards children of the marginalized sections of
society.
Quality: Many studies have shown that children who do complete primary schooling
attain abysmal learning levels. A majority of grade V children are estimated to be at a
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level no higher than grade II or III. The causes stem from the poorly functioning
educational system which is transmitted down to the schools.
Challenges to the World
The vague and rather distant threat (or promise?) of globalisation is an entity which has
changed the old way of life in all its aspects. The threat of pandemics such as avian flu,
swine flues etc. have brought down barriers we held sacrosanct. The global economic
forces and the ongoing financial meltdown has assumed universal proportions. The
climate change and global warming has spelt changes in the very geography and crop
patterns posing a total change in our way of life. The latest challenge to transcend all man
made borders is terrorism which has spread its ugly head irrespective of borders. The
increasing gaps between the rich and the poor have grown wider despite increase in
awareness and education. The violent wars waged over dwindling but life-giving
resources such as water, food, and energy have assumed threatening proportions.
Challenges to Education
The decentralization of educational governance is another gift or evil of liberalization and
globalization we have to accept. Privatization has opened Pandora’s Box. Increasing
corruption in education systems has shaken this hitherto untouched field. A rapidly
expanding diversification of programmes at all levels of the system is taking place. The
debate over whether education should serve to promote globalisation or localisation rages
on with no end in sight. The need to teach for creativity and adaptability, for continued
learning throughout life, and for living together in peace and harmony has become the
last savior and redeemer. The challenge of teaching learners of ever more diverse
backgrounds, identities, values, and skills with commitment a challenge the teacher as a
professional has to face. The increasing evidence that many education systems and
schools are failing to teach their learners what they need to – and want to – learn has
made the role of the teacher as a professional a challenging one.
The Response of Educators and Education Systems
• More participatory school- and community-based management mechanisms
• The introduction of more values-based school subjects in the core curriculum.
• A stronger role for education in preserving and revitalizing endangered languages
and cultures
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• Greater popularity of child-centered, interactive, inquiry-oriented teaching-

learning methods
• The impact of information and communication technologies on educational access
and quality
• A growing acceptance of innovative approaches to education as recognised
alternatives to traditional schools and classrooms.
The Role of the Teacher
But teachers are the necessary core of these varied attempts to reform education and to
rescue the world through education. The teacher – as educator, mentor, and guide -- is
here to stay. Undoubtedly to play the vital and pivotal role of being a harbringer and
facilitator of social change for the better. The skill and expertise of the teacher as a
professional who has the vision and wisdom to perceive the future and help the learners
prepare for it.
The Dakar Framework for Action for EFA insists that teachers:
• Should be respected and adequately remunerated
• Have access to training and ongoing professional development and support
• Should be able to participate in decisions affecting their professional lives and
teaching environments
• Should be able to understand diversity in learning styles and in the physical and
intellectual development of their students
• Create stimulating, participatory learning environments, and
• Accept their professional responsibilities and be accountable to both learners and
communities
1) Recruitment: …attracting better candidates to teaching
We must make teaching once again a vocation of choice, and not of last resort, and make
good students want to become good teachers. For example, through financial and career
incentives attracting the cream-de-la-cream to join the teaching profession. Along with
this we need clear political and moral support from the top leadership of a country to the
bottom to be able to implement this plan. Recruitment based on qualitative assessments
of motivation and dedication to teaching, rather than only academically-based entrance
examinations should be the main criterion.
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2) Pre-service teacher education and development

We must create teacher education systems which are not divorced from the realities of
the classroom. The training should provide new teachers with the essential knowledge,
skills, and values needed for their core task of teaching. The idea should be to “push out”
those who don’t really want to teach and inspire those who do to bring back the much
needed professionalism back into teaching and not just as a ‘pass time’ for those who
fitted no where else. Pre-service teacher education should provide necessary academic
content - especially in the teaching of literacy and numeracy – and in human rights and
gender equality, sustainable development, the integration of ICT in education, and skills
development – both life skills and living skills which are needed for survival.
Pre-service teacher education should provide skills in child-centred, interactive, inquiry-
based methods not excluding on the basis of difference but rather respecting and even
welcoming diversity, promoting the expression and preservation of diverse cultures and
being sensitive to gender equality. Our main focus has to be on how to make schools
physically and psycho-socially healthy, safe, and protective on one hand and how to get
schools to welcome the participation of students, families, and communities in its
activities. The main challenge before schools is of fulfilling the individual, special needs
of their learners. To gain such skills, teachers must be trained to become “reflective
practitioners”
3) Deployment:
Assigning good teachers to where they are needed most – and make them want to go
there! The early grades must be taught by the best teachers who are trained in the special
needs of young children assisted by specialist teachers in remediation. All this has to be
supported also by policies that refuse to promote children to higher grades if they do not
know how to read and write.
How to make good teachers want to go to difficult places?
Incentives like extra pay could be given to such teachers. They could be entitled to more
professional development opportunities (e.g., rural teaching experience credited toward a
higher degree). Guaranteed rotation back to less difficult postings would be another
incentive along with accelerated career paths. The other incentive could be adequate
housing and facilities at the school.
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4) In-service professional development

Having strong induction and probation processes for new teachers could be a strong
motivator. Training young teachers not only to reflect more on their own teaching but
also to work with their supervisors and peers in more collaborative methods of classroom
improvement very much similar to the legal profession where the rookies are under
training with a senior whom he assists in the cases. Offering teachers different routes to
further professional development and higher status would be a reward based programme.
Encouraging and facilitating professional teacher associations to take seriously their work
in professional development would definitely provide the right environment and support
within the teaching fraternity.
Three General Comments
• Ministries must look for – and nurture – innovative approaches and different
perspectives and encourage new ideas and new ways of working among teachers.
• Ministries must be convinced of the need to have a true and accurate picture of
the state of education in their country.
• Ministries – and educators in general -- must get rid of an attitude -- which
someone recently called the “plague of blame” --- where the blame for the failure
of children in school is put on them and their parents – rather than on the
education system itself.
Questions for the Conference:
• Can pre-service teacher education be saved?
• Should it be?
1) Given budget limitations, what additional incentives can make teaching a vocation of
choice and make good students want to become good teachers? Should teacher education
systems more actively “push out” the uncommitted and the incompetent?
2) In order to promote inclusive education and achieve EFA, how can teachers be trained
to welcome diversity in their classrooms and see it as an opportunity rather than as a
problem?
3) How can we ensure that good teachers get assigned to the class levels and schools
where they are needed the most?
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REFERENCES
Britton, e. et al (2003) Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Systems for Early Career
Learning. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

Kirby, S. N. et al (2006) Reforming Teacher Education: Something Old, Something New.

Rand Corporation, Santa Monica.

Kothari, D. S. (1966) Chairman) Report of the Education Commission 1964-66. Govt. of

India, New Delhi

NCTAF, USA (2004) High Quality Teacher Preparation – Higher Education’s Crucial
Role.

Teacher's College, Columbia University, New York

TDA, UK (2007) Supporting Induction Process: TDA Guidance for Newly Qualified
Teachers. Govt. of UK, London.

Wilson, V. et al (2006) Developing Teachers: A Review of Early Professional Learning.

General