Problems of School Teachers
It is a fact that Pakistan is one of those very few countries where the system of education has constantly eroded since independence. The situation at present is so worst that the government has officially declared our system of education to be almost collapsing and is employing all possible ways and means on emergency basis for the speedy uplift of our educational system and Problems of School Teachers are is not concern to Pakistani Government.
Till this day all the studies have shown that with the passage of time the problems being faced by the teachers. During this period no one paid any attention to them and instead wasted almost all the energies and resources on improvement of buildings and changes in curriculum. One of the key indicator of the above is the fact that since independence a lot of socially un-acceptable professions had achieved social
acceptance, whereas it teachers who have lost their social acceptance.
Respect in Society:
The first and foremost factor in choosing a profession anywhere is the respect that it gives to a person who joins it. As already touched above teaching is constantly losing its respect. The situation is so bad today that qualified people opt for other professions and majority of persons joining this profession are of quite a low caliber. A teacher is a spiritual father. He / She makes the minds of students. When there is no
respect for a teacher, the whole society damages thoroughly. That’s why this profession is going down day by day.
Financial problems:
The other most important factor, which in majority of the cases is as important as social respect that a profession commands is the financial benefits which a person, derives from it. The salary of our teacher is quite meager and is not enough to lead a decent life and support a healthy family. Dues to this majority of teachers resort to a number of ways and means to supplement their income. This not only diverts the
attention of the teacher but also brings a bad name to this once the most respected profession. If it is ensured that a teacher gets enough financial benefits with which he can lead a decent life, he will then be in a position to invest all his energies in doing justice to his profession.
Frequent Transfers between schools:
It has been observed that majority of the teachers are not only posted away from the cities/villages they belong to but are also subjected to very frequent transfers. It is a human nature that it takes time to accustom to any new environment. By posting teachers away from their native cities/villages and then subjecting them to frequent transfers, they never get accustomed to the schools & students, which greatly diminishes their productivity. This also has another angle i.e. the students too needs time to get to know a teacher and it is only when they understand each other they can communicate positively. Frequent transfers also have a negative effect on the family life of teachers especially the education of their children. Transferring policy is very damaging in our system. The educational system is much effected by the wrong transfer policies. Low adjustment time can make a teacher becoming dis-heart and
uncomfortable and he/she cannot perform well in short period.
Unavailability of Accommodation:
Accommodation is a major irritant in the sound family life of teachers. Due to absence of official accommodation majority of the time of a teacher is spent in finding an accommodation, which he can afford. It has been observed that when finally a teacher finds an accommodation his next transfer is almost due. This keep the teacher greatly disturbed, normally they are away from their families most of the time. According to teachers this is one of the major factors why the children of teachers on
the average are poor in their studies. In comparison with other countries, Pakistan is far behind away from this facility providing to teachers. This is serious issue alarming for the teachers as well as educational system.
Transportation:
Transportation is related to accommodation. It has been seen that in majority of the cases teachers reside at distance from the schools. Also they can afford decent transport due to which they are reported to come late and leave as early as possible. Due to recent hike in transportation costs it is reported that the cases of unreported absence from duty has also become very common. The late arrival in schools is also
the cause of disturbance for a teacher. Rush of traffic also participates in this disturbance due to no decent facility of transportation, teachers are always late from school and feel risk.
Training and education qualification:
It is a fact that once teachers are inducted in our education system they are seldom provided any training of substance. Due to lack of training they are not aware of challenges of the future and hence are unable to prepare their students to play their due role. When teachers are not trained, they can’t understand what to do. This unawareness is also a threat to educational system as well as teacher’s performance.
Political and social problems:
Work on merit becomes harsh for a teacher when he is politicized. A teacher can’t work properly and independently in the presence of political involvement. Since independence all the institutions of our society have become much politicized. Teaching profession is no exception to this. Majority of the induction is on political grounds. A teacher inducted through this system is not liable to merit but to the
political interest of the political force that has inducted the person and so commits all kinds of blunders to favor them. The negative impact of politics is so great that whoever wants to uphold merit is punished severely.
Teacher headmaster relation:
When teacher is ignored by headmaster, the performance of teacher and system is also infected. It influences teacher’s personality as well as student’s performance. As already discussed above that the negative influence of politics in education is deep rooted. Due to this factor only those persons who work for the political forces get to the top. Persons who reach to the top using their political influences pay no attention to developing cordial relations with their staff. Good relations of headmaster and his teachers are very important in improving the over-all performance teachers.
Grouping in school:
As already discussed above our educational institutions are greatly infected with negative politics. Grouping causes serious threats to teachers and students. Political involvement is the responsible of this discomfort.
This problem restricts the educational performance of a teacher even it has bad impacts on students. The number of groups within an educational institution is equivalent to the number of political parties in our country. These groups fight among themselves the way our politicians fight on the national scene due to which they are never able to play their positive role. This in majority of cases engulf the student community too, which makes things worst.
Over Crowded Classrooms:
Multi-grade teaching also effects the teacher’s performance. When class rooms are over-crowded. There is no time for each students to get teachers attentions. Even a teacher can’t focus each student. On the other hand, teacher’s eyes are on the clock because he has to attend other classes. So quality education cannot be delivered in this tenure. Due to lack of realistic investment in our educational institutions since
independence, the pressure on schools has increased many folds. On the average a single teacher teaches at least sixty students in a classroom which was basically meant for thirty students. The scene of multiple classes being taught in a single room by a single teacher is very common in our primary schools. It should be kept in mind that it is here that students require maximum personal attention. In our educational system mostly the teacher is unable to recognize his student, the question of personal attention cannot even be imagined.
Communication problem:
When there is lack of communication between parents, staffs and high-ups useful suggestion can’t convey and system is malfunctioned. Our system of education lacks communication between teaching staff, parents, headmasters, and the concerned higher authorities.
Due to this they are unable to coordinate and make consolidated efforts for the uplift of the educational system and end-up blaming each other.
Medium of instruction:
When there is fluctuation in the medium of instructions, no output can be achieved. The over changing criteria confuses the teachers as well as learners. Due the existence of multi-medium of instruction as well as ever changing medium of instruction confuses both the giver and the recipient. The absence of proper orientation confuses the teacher so greatly that they lose interest in their profession. What can be expected from a teacher who has lost his interest ?
Inefficient and insufficient teachers:
As already discussed above majority of our teachers are inducted through political connections who lack ability to teach. On top of this they are never provided training, which can transform them into good teachers. These coupled with the fact that they are made to face an overcrowded classroom, which even a qualified teacher cannot face, makes a nightmare of the whole situation. As already discussed in majority of our primary schools, a single teacher not only teaches multiple classes under a tree or in a shabby room but also administers/ manages the school too. In case the teacher goes on leave the school is closed till the teacher returns or another teacher is posted.
Wrong Policies:
In educational system, the wrong policies also cause the discomfort to a teacher’s performance. A policy is implemented on one day but after some days, it is eliminated and again a new policy point is added. A teacher tries to implement the first one but after introduction of new policy by government the teacher is asked to implement. In this way, both teachers and learners are confused and thematic results cannot be
obtained.
