A world wide tribute to the noble profession of teaching.
by Bint-e-Gul
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well”: says Alexander the great.
How many people from us enjoying the respectable statuses in their social and economic lives have ever thought the same thing which Alexander the great; the golden name of the past has quoted about his teachers!!
Yes! After learning to live well we forget those people who served as a guide map to lead us towards the path of success….
Teachers treat us as their own children; they teach us, reinforce us to learn, scold us, counsel us in our hard times but never expect anything from us. Truth it is! That a mother only gives birth to a child but it is teachers, who teach us the way to live, obey, give respect and ultimately prosper in this world…..
Well said by Aristotle;
“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those art of living well.”
Realizing the infinite and unregrettable role of teachers in making this world a heaven by producing great men, United Nations celebrates teachers day on October 5th in the memory of those great teachers of the history, as well as aspiring today’s teachers to work with the same devotion.
The very first Teachers day was celebrated on Oct 5, 1994. Since then Oct 5th became an International Teachers day and as a symbol of importance for quality education. Yes! There are many other States who have their own fixed date of celebrating Teachers day. But, the most common thing among all these Nations is, that we all celebrate it as a tribute to our teachers!
However, in Pakistan this special day is observed on the same date as prescribed by UNE SCO by the name of ‘Salaam Teachers day’. I, as a student have always taken part in celebrating this day especially in my educational institutes.
We have given farewell parties to our teachers, organized different seminars stressing not only to respect and value them but, also debating the dire need to upgrade the infrastructure of the profession of teaching as well as, providing suitable opportunities to teachers for their higher education and professional expertise. Even several workshops are organized on this day for teacher’s educational plans every year.
Despite of all these constructive activities, a deep thought always surfaces in my mind on Salaam Teacher’s day! It is that we, as a nation are not doing what is required to be done to upgrade the infrastructure of this noble and the most respectable profession.
According to the latest surveys, all the provinces of Pakistan have an unstable ratio of teacher/ pupil in a class. This situation is relatively worse at school and intermediate level. In Punjab and Sindh and KPK province every teacher is taking a class of approximately 35 to 50 students.
The reason is regressing ratio of expert educationists with continuously increasing population. Moreover, low wage level also serves as an obstacle to hire the services of expert and devoted teachers.
It is said that:
“Education is the cheapest defense of a nation”
And, the teachers serve as an army who save the nations from getting lost in the darkness of ignorance by lightening our mind and soul from the light of knowledge. They reinforce us to keep probing the answers to the mysteries of wisdom of knowledge by working hard day and night and, in this way a Nation reaches the strong sate of self defense.
The time has come that on Salaam Teacher’s day we, as a citizen of this Pak land, in collaboration with our Government should start working with determination that we will struggle hard for the betterment of our teachers by revamping the infrastructure of this respectable profession. Only then we will be in the situation of our cheapest defense; Education….
