Our education system will be considered at par with the international standards of education by the time our teachers will feel proud in telling about their profession to others; when becoming a teacher will be the top most priority of our young talented lot; when our teachers will be able to get their work done and their legitimate demands fulfilled without knocking the door of a politician or without greasing the palm of an official. The renowned writer Ashfaq Ahmed (late) writes that, while in Italy, once he was summoned by a court of law to face a trial, the judge and the audience gave him a standing ovation on learning that he was a teacher. He adds that at that moment the secret of success of Italian nation dawned upon him. If we have a cursory glance at the current social milieu, we will learn that our society does not pay due respect to the teachers. It is a bitter reality that while commuting in public transport, a teacher is not given a due respect. The government can not be absolved in this regard. A teacher has to perform flood, election and census duties along with teaching in his classes. Then punitive measures against teachers are materialised by the government in a knee-jerk style but when there is a time to reward a teacher, government works at a snail's pace.
With each passing day, government introduces new and novel policies to improve the falling standard of education but without capitalising on teachers no policy will serve our purpose. We shall have to change the mindset of our entire nation as far as the value and esteem of a teacher is concerned in order to improve our education standard.
MUHAMMAD FAYYAZ,
Mianwali, September 23.