The answer is simple. Only a person who has the skills and used them effectively should teach skills. One cannot teach swimming by reading text books. An expert swimmer must teach swimming.
The role of teachers is changing with the advent of new technologies. Earlier, the only way to learn was to go to a teacher. Libraries were used for any additional information with limited resources. Then came the TVs where one could get limited but additional lessons with a visual content.
With the advent of internet, the situation is totally different now. Information is at the finger tips, available at all times and almost free. One can watch the best class room lessons delivered by the well-known experts of the internationally renowned educational institutions. Practical lessons coming from the fields in any subject are available. Discussions are plenty. One can ask questions and get immediate answers. ChatGPT is right here.
Role of a teacher in the new age
Let us be clear. The purpose of the educational system is to impart skills to the students and develop them to maximise their potential. Humans are social animals and, in every aspect, humans expect a social behaviour what is called a human touch. Machines cannot get that, at least for now. The final decision maker is the human being. Teachers have the role there.
We must consider technology as a helping hand not as a threat. Teaching community must use technologies to maximise the learning process. Teacher must work side by side with the machines. Teachers must grow to that level. If not, their survival will be in question. This is nothing new. Everyone has to embrace the technologies. A surgeon has to work with robotic surgeons. Military personnel have to work along Robots. A factory employee has to work side by side with the machines, look at the automobile factory. The boundary between the humans and machines are fading.
Learner's need is priority
In the age of lifelong learning, the classes, especially that of higher level must be available as and when a learner needs it. A learner of the future will be a person working somewhere and want to upgrade his skills. He is knowledgeable, experienced, knows the value of time and look for return on investment. A class room will be made of such students. The teacher (professor) must grow to that level. One has to get away the concept of 10 to 4 working hours. A cardiac surgeon cannot demand that he will work only between 10 to 4 nor military or police personnel. Teachers should be available on demand.
Growing up to the demands must be the sole responsibility of the teachers. Training facilities should be provided. The number of training hours should be decided by the teacher themselves to attain that level, even though a minimum number can be set. Strict evaluations must be conducted regularly. Bad apples should be removed and the quality of the educational system must be maintained. Teachers’ job is to mould the children who will lead himself and India forward. No teacher should be a hurdle to the development of the student and the country. Remember a surgeon is evaluated on every surgery and so the other professionals.
At most care has taken in crafting the new National Education policy and NEP has discussed the finest details. However, with years of working experiences in teaching, industrial and research institutions, I cannot agree with NEPs following point in the Ph.D. program. NEP2020 says “All fresh Ph.D. entrants, irrespective of discipline, will be required to take credit-based courses in teaching/education/pedagogy/writing related to their chosen Ph.D. subject during their doctoral training period”.
The reason given is that “many research scholars will go on to become faculty or public representatives/communicators of their chosen disciplines”.
We must understand that India is advancing in an unprecedented speed in all fields and advanced research activities will be happening everywhere, where we need large pools of trained research-oriented personnel, that is Ph.Ds. Industries will be the centre of advancement and a large number of patents and research papers will be originating from there, driven by large pool of researchers. In such a scenario, to assume research scholars will end up as faculties or communicators is difficult to digest. Those who are inclined towards teaching should take up such courses along with their Ph.D. program (if the time permits) or do it before joining the teaching work force.
Since we need skilled manpower to teach, what we need to do is to remove the hard boundaries between the universities, industries and research institutes and encourage the movement of personnel between them, give credits and even make it compulsory.
(This is the concluding part of a four-part series titled 'Enabling Education' focusing the vital changes that we need in our education for the future. Read the earlier parts here)
— The author, Dr. V. Premachandran, is a member of the working group in the Kerala State Planning Board, and was a Senior Fellow at the Solar Energy Research Institute, National University of Singapore.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
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