Overcoming Teacher Shortage

Teachers’ mould a country’s future but somehow that is the last opted profession on educated minds.

Learning is continuous while, optimum payment is the last preference for this profession. This is the most obvious reason that is identified by institutions across the globe for the widespread shortage of professionals in this field. State institutions tend to handle these professionals as an ‘allied works’ department while private sector runs it like a ‘concentration camp’. Though across the globe study has come up with different opinions on ‘reviewing, retaining and developing teachers’. The variations from country to country and within a country are crucial in its applicability. With this said, the set stage of working out solutions to make teaching profession ambitious is still hypothetical.

The shortage in teaching profession is not limited to one country. The scenario just extends to the entire world. Each country may have a reason different from another. However, it is thoroughly justified if we observe each of the case with curiosity. New careers have entered into the field while most old mundane jobs have vanished. The demand for entry into service sector has increased. Technical services sector also has new demands. Teaching and Training sector takes a backstage with a lack of personnel. The large question still remains ‘Is it time that we revamp the teaching profession?’ If so, How?

Reports show that there are many factors which has led to the shortage of teachers across the globe. These can be categorized as

•         Internal – Salary, Scope for professional development
•         External – Educational qualifications, Medical and other benefits

However, in India, the beginners block is another major aspect of focus that is missed out – The problem of motivating efficient and effective people into the profession. The profession is challenging enough but inducting able minded is a humongous task. Recently, I had met with a young man who completed his graduation in one of reputed institute in India left his campus selected job to join the teaching profession. He was passionate about teaching and took this decision. After three years of struggle in the profession, he found that though he has the passion to teach, the success rate for him in this profession is close to ‘none’. He has finally decided to ‘quit’ and move on with a more ‘successful’ profession. The amount of patience and self-control required in school level teaching is no were taught in professional colleges.

School teaching is different from collegiate teaching, it varies in

1.       Age group
2.       Care and Responsibility
3.       Safety and security
4.       Development of good habits and manners
5.       More listening and slow talking
6.       Emotional awareness
7.       Personalised learning methods
8.       Identify learning disabilities

‘Millennials’ are a fast forward generation, and expect result immediately. Candidates entering to the teaching profession are less aware of the many requisite demands of the job. Societal awareness about the needs and growth in this profession is limited. Many entering into teaching profession, especially in south India, with plethora of engineers, currently are looking for a ‘passing phase’ in training or their career.  As a result the education system with its policies has taken a back step, large scale introduction and implementation of ‘skill development’ in learning process becomes a ‘dream’.

Handling school teaching and improving the conditions of teachers, needs to be focussed on a larger scale, ‘YouTube’ videos about failed teaching system does not fetch any results. Handling education system lies in making major changes in the approach towards professional development of teachers. Training should focus on all major areas addressed above in schooling. Laws to create strict professional development with financial stability and job security both in public and private sector is needed. Developing teaching to a primary profession rather than a subsidiary profession among youth, needs to be addressed. Loopholes which provide institutions with scope of mismanagement of teaching profession to allied works need to be arrested. Vacation time is to be strategized towards their professional development, allowing them to learn, new tricks of their trade.

Collective efforts provide best result, unless – until the work is done quickly, we are to lose the passionate to a falsified professional satisfaction. After all, in the contest of stomach and the heart, the stomach wins.