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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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