Introspection

India's troubling truants: teachers
A new study finds 25 percent of teachers absent on any given day.
By Diana Coulter | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
DELHI – Twice a day, vegetable salesman Kamakhya Singh takes time off to balance his three children on a bike for their school commute only to learn, too often, that the teachers are absent.
"We are poor people, but we want our children to get a good education," says Mr. Singh, who works outside Delhi. "I am not so sure teachers care so much because sometimes my children walk home if no one is instructing them."

For more go to http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1220/p01s03-wosc.html

I was very surprised to find the above article on Indian teachers in an international newsletter. Meanwhile I also came across the same issue in of the discussions on deesha group. Though I wasn’t surprised about the truancy rates of teachers in government schools and the lack of proper resources in such schools, I was surely wondering why it took so long for the critics to notice these facts. Thee study conducted on the truancy rate seems a bit confusing to me. I am doubtful about the reliability of the tests as it shows only one phase of the education system in schools.
As indicated earlier, I am not surprised about the report on the truancy issue of the teachers but am really depressed by the way the schools continue to be run in India. Government schools have earned a very notorious reputation of being understaffed and under maintained. The students who study in these schools literally waste their precious years spending time attending the schools gaining little or no education. I remember my childhood days when most of my elders would ridicule the parents who sent their children to government schools. Even my peers and including me had a biased feeling towards children studying in government schools. It is no surprise that the teachers in these schools do not work hard and are not expected to comply with any standards of teaching. The parents who are least bothered about their wards education or who cannot afford to send them to private schools usually opted for the government schools.
But, as I specified this is the situation in “government” schools and not in private schools.

In India we find a good proportion of private schools catering to the needs of lower middle class to the upper class societies. Though most of the teachers do not have the BEd degree (the licensure for teaching), they are accepted by these schools to teach the students based on their educational qualifications. Most of these teachers work their sweat out for earning meager income with no promotions and no better prospects.
Except for the usual vacations which they enjoy along wit the students, most of them are expected to be very punctual and are not excused for their tardiness or their absenteeism. The reports on salary satisfaction also might be pertaining to that of a teacher employed in a government run school who is paid well in comparison with the teachers working in private schools.
Thus, the research seems to be one sided with not particular mention on the type of schools surveyed. However by the tone of the report it is clear that most of the schools surveyed were government schools in rural areas where the general population still need to be enlightened about the positive outcomes of good education and where and for whom private education is away from their reach.
Moreover the research does not specify if the comparison was only between the Indian government schools and the government run schools in other countries.
The tone of the report seems very hostile towards teachers in general trying to brand everyone as truant, lazy and opportunist which is really very insulting.
The whole issue surely throws light on the poor functioning of the education system in India. Almost all the government schools need a makeover to improve the quality of education. So the problem is not just the teachers but the whole lousy education system in the government run schools where everything has stagnated which has a deleterious effect on the future of those innocent kids attending these schools.