EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Help teachers regain the lost dignity   Teaching has continued to be revered as one of  the most noble of professions over the years, in this country. As the professionals who mould and educate the future generations of the country, nowhere has their contribution to nation building proved crucial to the country as now. Yet, the multitude of discriminations and the hardships faced by the teachers of this country have only provided fodder for disappointment and little else. Successive governments have refused to address the growing concerns within the teacher community with any real commitment. Numerous pledges made in impressive election manifestos of every political party have pathetically remained in the publications with the ground reality unchanged. Meagre salary increases have helped little to regain the dignity of the profession and help the profession assert itself to its past glory. As they continue to lose the day-, day-out battle against survival, the necessity for these professionals to reach out to less than dignified methods to eke out a living has only seen an increase. Largely viewed as a profession with little or no economic scope for success, the increasing drop in the standards of both the profession as well as those taking up teaching is to be expected. It is not difficult to comprehend the necessity for children to opt for private tuition in a scenario where hardly trained or qualified people join the profession. The acute lack of qualified teachers for subjects like Mathematics, Science or English has reached serious proportions with no remedy in sight. This is a vicious circle that the government must commit itself towards addressing soon. The immediate nature of the concerns faced by students’ demand prioritizing the situation and applying remedial measures fast. Children are our future- an investment that must be made. How a government commits itself to educating them, speak volumes of where its priorities are. Politics is a game every party plays both in and out of office. Its games; some more predicable than others, may be applicable to all other sectors of society but education. Our very development, economic and social goals would fail miserably if we fail our children and their right to education. Poised for such impressive change Sri Lanka can not afford to limit its focus to other sectors at the cost of our literacy levels. It is incumbent upon the government to address these issues and ensure that contented educators committed to raising the academic capabilities of our children go before the students. No amount of political pledges will ever suffice where ensuring that our future generations are equipped to meet the increasing global challenges is demanded.