By: Raja Furqan Ahmed
He was a professor at the University of Rome. One afternoon he was returning from university to home in his car. The road was empty. He took a shortcut that was a violation of traffic laws. On the way, a police officer came and fined against this violation. Now the penalty was to be deposited at any post office, but payment could not be made. He received notice from the court for not submitting a fine. Since he had no other option, so he went to court. The judge summoned. The judge started, you were fined and ordered to pay at the nearest post office, why didn’t you pay? Don’t you feel like you’re wasting the time of the police? He used a foreign card in his defence. The judge said you speak well, what do you do? Then he embarrassingly said that he is a teacher, a professor at the University of Rome. The judge immediately stood up and said: “there is a teacher in the court”. On hearing these words, all the people in the court, including the faculty, police officers, stood up. Then the judge’s style changed. The judge ordered to bring a chair apologized and cancelled the invoice. The person was Ashfaq Ahmad. He describes this story in his book Zavia. He said on that day I learned the secret that the honour of the nations is the honour of the teacher.
Let’s took some examples of other states. Finland is the leading country in Education. The total population of the country is 5.53 million, but Finland ranks first in terms of education ranking, while Superpower America is at number twenty. Any school in Finland has a maximum of 195 children and one teacher on 19 children. The world’s longest break also takes place in Finland’s schools. There are only 20 hours of teaching in a week, while teachers spend two hours per day in improving their skills. Being a teacher in Finland is more difficult and honourable than being a doctor and engineer. There is no school in the country for children before the age of seven and there is no any sort of test before 15 age in which parents forbid the child’s sleep. There is a single test for students all over the country.
Take the example of Japan where children are taught morality, ethics and manners until third grade. If a teacher from another country goes to Japan, he gets a protocol that the teacher thinks he is probably the Prime Minister of Japan. This is the secret of the development and rise of nations.
Pakistan, as like in every field lags behind. Teachers are facing a lot of issues. Election-duty, polio, dengue, census, etc teachers are everywhere. I know it’s their constitutional responsibility, but is it just the teacher’s responsibility to leave the teaching process and come in the streets, be humiliated at intersections. Rather, now teachers are bringing students from home to school because of poor government policies. Is teachers are left to do this job.
Let’s assume for a while that it is the duty of the teacher, but do these teachers also get the facilities and privileges they are assigned? Is the teacher medical free, is the teacher’s children’s education free, is the teacher’s transportation free? After serving for four decades of life, free treatment is not available and then we said that this nation will become a great nation. No one raises a voice for the teacher’s interest, even the teacher’s union, which brings teachers on the streets for their own benefit and interest.
This behaviour is extremely regrettable to the teachers who prepare for the coming generations. All countries view the teachers with the highest regard but in Pakistan, the status of the teacher is not even saluted. I think it is the only government responsible because when a new government comes, it announces a new system, sometimes Urdu to English medium and sometimes English to Urdu medium, which makes teachers worried and mentally depressed. Science is taught in every class but you will not see a scientist. Terrorists will be born in the country where the killer is given protocol and the teacher is presented in court with handcuffs.
Official authorities should provide facilities to the teachers. Their problems should be solved. At least, the teacher’s privileges should be equal to a Minister.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He tweets @furqanraja1122