Teachers’ role and changing contours of education

Today, we are living in a very complex world of multimillion pieces of information on social media, where everyone has become a content creator without realising the positive or negative impacts of the content they create, especially on young minds. The young generation is becoming so addicted to mobile phones, gaming laptops, and computers that they do not know when to stop using screens.

Recently, in Madhya Pradesh, a 20-year-old NEET aspirant murdered his mother and hospitalized his father by attacking them with an iron rod, simply because they asked him to stop wasting his time on a mobile phone and focus on his exam. Similarly, a tragedy occurred in America where a couple lost their young son because Artificial Intelligence misguided him into taking the most harmful and self-destructive step.

Many users of various AI and social media platforms have lost their lives in the obsession of making and uploading content in the hope of becoming famous and rich overnight. This attitude of the young generation has left them hollow like bulrush, which looks plain and silky on the surface but is hollow from within.

In such circumstances, the role of education and educators has become more crucial than ever before-to impart the right education and inculcate moral values among the young generation, preparing them for responsible behaviour. True education enables learners to use their senses and mind for good, and to discern truth from falsehood.

The question now arises: What is meant by true education? And who will impart it?

True education means an education that not only provides knowledge and information but also inculcates human values such as empathy, wisdom, honesty, love, and morality in a person.

It ensures the all-round development of the heart, body, mind, and soul. Keeping in view the needs and necessities of the modern and future world, the Government of India introduced the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which focuses not only on the holistic development of the child but also on vocational education.

From Class VI onwards, it provides hands-on training and internships to equip students with employability skills while also instilling socio-cultural and moral values.

It is said: “Mother gives birth, but teacher gives worth.” In today’s complex and perplexing world, a teacher has a crucial role to play in shaping or spoiling the future of a learner.

Modern education is child-centric, so the primary focus of the teacher should be on the head, heart, and hand, rather than merely on the 3R’s — Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. A teacher is not just an instructor but a guide and mentor who shows the right path to the child.

Children today live in a world overflowing with information. They often cannot differentiate between right and wrong.

Moreover, many belong to nuclear families where both parents are working, leaving little time to devote to their child due to financial constraints.

Therefore, teachers must make utmost effort to ensure the all-round development of students, preparing them to build a peaceful, non-violent, and harmonious society-a better world to live in.

Only then a child can say:

“Guru Gobind dou khade, kaake laagoon paay?

Balihari Guru aapne, Govind diyo milaye.”

The writer is TGT, GMSSS, Sector 21, Chandigarh