The importance of a teacher as an architect of our future generations requires that only the best, most intelligent and competent members of our society are allowed to enter this noble profession. However, it is unfortunate that generally the most incapable people find their way into this noble profession. Anyone who fails to find an opening in any other walk of life, gets into this profession and recklessly plays with the destiny of a nation. An important reason for this is the poor salaries of our primary and secondary teachers in India, which are no better than that of clerks and other workers. As a result, a large number of our teachers are frustrated and disinterested to pursue their profession wholeheartedly.

In addition, the teaching profession does not enjoy due respect in society, especially primary and secondary teachers. Their status is lower than that of doctors, engineers, advocates, civil servants — even lower than that of semi-literate and illiterate traders. It would, therefore, require great commitment for an intelligent individual, however, fond of education and training he or she might be, to forsake the career of a doctor or an engineer in favour of teaching.

While highlighting the role of a teacher in society, it is imperative to involve the role of parents, too, especially in the process of character building of students. In the past, parents and teachers both used to make the best of their efforts to provide an atmosphere to their children congenial to the development of higher virtues and morals. However, the gross social change over the last 50 years, large scale urbanisation, ruthless competition for financial gains, and heavy preoccupation in everyday life have depleted all time and energy of parents, leaving them little time or energy to monitor their children. As a result, the younger generation hardly gets any opportunity to share ideas with their elders. Likewise, the idea that education is not meant to build better human beings, but only to get better jobs is gaining momentum.

With that in mind, students are obsessed with better jobs and dreams of a higher social status. Considering that, it is the duty of every parent to take active interest in the progress of their children and to teach them the real meaning of education.

— The reader is an Indian professor based in Rajasthan, India