Hope of Education
I wasn’t surprised by Kuensel headline, dated April 2nd on
‘teachers will require master's degree in the 12th plan.’ But doing away
with teacher licence system has surprised me more. I was more confused now. I
was confused with uncommon reason. If they feel teacher come out with licence
to teach. Then why teacher licence in education blueprint. Because
education blueprint serve as a bible for ministry. Whatever happens has to
happen within the periphery of the blueprint.
Why this concern at wrong time when we have already lost enough qualified and dedicated teachers from the
field?
High quality teachers are must. But not necessarily a teacher
licence system will find better option for the job, job of a teacher, job
within the four walls of the classroom. Is our teaching job an admirable enough
for anyone wishing to join teaching force? Do teaching job have enough salary
to match all those series of test and exams?
Obviously Finland has the finest education system in the world. It
is not because of teacher licence system. Teaching job in Finland is one of the
most sought after career because they have everything in place –right kind of
curriculum to policies in place. Salary and teachers welfare are the prime
concern. Not to forget world class building structures and smart classroom
setting are what they have for so long. The one thing I like about Finland
education system is everyone regard teaching job as the most important job.
High academic performer with high aptitude opt to become a teacher. It is
all due to salary and job reputation. Teaching profession are the noblest
job in Finland.
2013 survey showed that Finland has a very high retention rate for
teachers, almost about 90% of trained and qualified teachers remain in the
profession until retirement. They have a curriculum which support creativity
and innovation. Their curriculum serves the daily purpose. And usually their
curriculum changes on need base and not like ours. I still could remember how I
was made to remember 'Maasai Herders of Tanzania are the most backward people
–they are hunters and live in jungle which was not true and Cocoa cultivation
in Ghana –as if India don't cultivate.' Now I have realized enough that
Tanzanian and Ghanaian people are far better than us. A cow boy of Tanzania own
iPhone even before we knew Apple Company was there. We only knew Apple which
fell on Newton's head through Physics subject. Isn't it eerie?
Are our trained teachers not capable to teach our students in
the school? Are they not teaching professionals? Aren’t our
teachers certified to teach? It seemed our teachers have learnt only about
stones and walls during their training periods. Because our teachers are
underrated. What more than this? Is it that they deserve a licence for their
poor conduct as a teacher?
What is teacher licence? Why teacher licence system when we
don't have enough trained and qualified teachers in the field? I feel we still
have very unbalanced teacher - student ratio in the field and we still demand
for teaching licence. What next?
I feel one way it is good to introduce teacher licence system to
better off our education quality. But where are we heading? Do teaching job
have enough salary to match all those changes and high demands of
–lesson plan, child adoption, planning, preparation, assessment of the
students, making of teaching learning materials, games and sports etc... If our
government was concern about education they must have done it FIVE year before.
Now who will bother about ministry’s vision of retaining teachers on wrong
time. This is absolutely foolish. It don't make any sense to me.
How many teachers have been enrolled in master program so far?
Aren't we failing the vision 2022 of teacher master qualification
requirement?
What our ministry have done so far to retain our teachers in the
field. Is it the hope of master degree that is still holding back our teachers
in the field? Or is it that five days summer workshop keeping them back in the
school?
I have one piece of suggestion to the ministry of education
–send those high academic performer and someone with high aptitude to pursue
education training and not bad ones, if Bhutan wanted to be like Finland ten
years from now. Otherwise, stop teacher licence business. It's not a profitable
affairs at all. 
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