Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(What are the reasons for the fall in academic standards in institutes of higher
learning, of a majority of engineering colleges in particular? Here is an attempt at
exploring some of the questions raised. Though the original version was first
published in ‘The Hindu’ of November 06, 1990, the issues raised continue to be
alive in 2009)
• Can academic institutional growth take place in isolation from the growth and
development of teachers? Or can teachers isolate themselves from
responsibility and accountability for the success of academic excellence and
growth? Can a “safe” job motivate performance?
• Are excellent teachers sufficiently “backed up” by institutional managements
through infrastructure facilities and recognition?
• What is the role of the principal? The Heads of Departments?
• Are institution standards moving in line with a brighter and more demanding
younger generation?
• Is institutional research attracting industry by keeping ahead of prevalent
industry norms and thereby providing a direction for development of
technology and innovation?
From our ancient systems of learning, the teacher or ‘Guru’ emerged as a selfless,
dedicated, learned individual with simple living and high thinking as a way of life. His
mission was to impart knowledge to those that could absorb them without expecting
anything in return. And the good student was ever indebted to the Guru.
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Somewhere along the line, the ancient selftaught “Guru” disappeared and in course of
time has emerged the “professional” vocation of a teacher ----- a professional who
expects to be paid adequately for his work and also expects by and large to work within
a set of boundaries particularly suitable for the vocation.
The contradiction in the professional teachers role has arisen with the fact that,
while all other paid vocations are periodically “accounted” for performance, the
teaching profession is left to float relatively fee under the garb of “academic
freedom”.
Today, academic freedom has for the enmasse of teachers meant an environment free
of responsibility for which they could be held accountable. To move forward in the
direction of accountability, of commitment to the vocation of teaching, what is expected
of a teacher today, in particular of teachers in technologically sophisticated institutions
like leading engineering colleges?
As part of the methodology of this study, this writer met individual teachers,
teachers in groups in formal meetings, got a specially developed questionnaire
answered on their understanding of the culture of their institution and finally
interviewed more than 100 students at random.
What the Teachers had to say: Some of the observations arising from the above are
reported below for the purpose of finally having the “New” Role of the Teacher defined
by teachers themselves after brain-storming on these observations:
• There was noticeably little resistance to the idea of introducing from within a
change of culture in a phased manner into the institution to make it relatively
“objective-oriented”.
• However, each person’s interpretation of what such a change meant differed
vastly - like many saw it either as a fault-finding mechanism to be careful of or
that it had something to do with what the institution would do for them with the
onus being totally on the institution. This was true even of many senior teachers.
• Many teachers did not see the point that their role was anything other than
teaching per se.
• Many logically saw teaching as a primary task but did not see the relevance of
research and consultancy as effective supports to teaching.
• Most saw the constraints on teaching performance as
Too many students in a class.
Quality of most students below average because of doubtful selection
criteria.
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Interaction within departments between HODs and Senior Teachers and others is
also “safe” and not developmental - “peaceful’ co-existence is the rule on most
matters:
There is tremendous scope for improving the leadership role of the Principal and
Heads of the Departments that would activate the involvement of the brighter
teachers in the modernization and expansion of existing departments to enable a
balanced approach to the three important academic outputs ---- Teaching,
Research, and Consultancy.
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Obviously, all departments will have enough and more of “routine” work - but are
the “routines” shared and delegated for optimum results? What about “non-
routine” activity that can progressively upgrade a department over time in
keeping with national and international trends in teaching, research and
consultancy?
These questions need to be looked at for finally determining a practical, workable role-
personality of at least a “reasonably acceptable” teacher. For example, a teacher today
may have to be:
The role of a teacher is obviously a demanding one, possibly next only to the
role of parents. But at the post-adolescent stage of student life, the role of a
teacher may even be the more important role in relation to the parental role.
Today the teacher is a “professional’ with terms and conditions of work within specified
or unspecified boundaries. For a “professional” teacher to play his optimum desired role,
he also needs to be supported through institutional direction, motivation, and
recognition. Issues regarding improvement in institution management and improvement
in the performance of teachers, particularly in engineering colleges, are now subjects of
national debate. However, having personal experience of the deliberations that go on,
and keeping in mind the complexities involved at the national level, progress is likely to
be very slow.
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Raju Swamy
Principal Consultant
& Advisor to Entrepreneurs & Family Business
PROMAG Consultancy Services
Apt. 206 Brigade Rathna
42 Ranga Rao Road
Shankarapuram
Bangalore - 560004 INDIA
Tel. +91-80-26676298/ Cell: 9845271498
Email: rajupromag@hotmail.com