South zone best teachers: Thanmayi (left) & Ramanujam

M.V. Usha Thanmayi,

The obsession of school managements with board exam results obstructs teachers from delivering application-oriented learning in the classroom. Instead of helping students to grasp concepts and develop reasoning and analytical skills, teachers are forced to prepare students to do well in exams in a mechanical way. Even parents pressurise teachers to ensure their children score high marks in exams. Moreover commercial teaching institutes such as coaching centres and private tutorials are causing great damage to the education system. They adversely affect teacher-student rapport in the classroom.

Greater investment is required — particularly in government schools — in infrastructure and support facilities to bring out the best in students. School managements also need to help teachers upgrade their skills through continuous in-service workshops and training programmes.

India has a strong education tradition which is widely respected. For instance the gurukul system which evolved in ancient India is acknowledged even today as a sound system of transmitting knowledge. With such strong and time-honoured traditions to guide and support us, I’m confident and hopeful about the present and future of Indian education. However this tradition needs to be upgraded and supplemented with application oriented/ practical teaching-learning practices in classrooms, the provision of at least one vocational subject in school, and creating social and environmental awareness within students.

Dr. P. Ramanujam

An English language teacher at the Andhra Loyola College, Vijaywada, Dr. P. Ramanujam was adjudged joint winner of the TCS EducationWorld Teachers Award (South India) 2005 following the interview in Bangalore of nine short-listed teachers from three states in peninsular India. An alumnus of Madras and Sri Venkateshwara universities, Ramanujam has been teaching English to undergrad and postgrad students for over two decades. Apart from devising new pedagogies to teach English to vernacular medium students, he has authored 20 books, including textbooks for teaching English at the college level and literary translations.

‘Choice’ is the mot juste — the right word. I didn’t stumble into the profession; I resigned a government job to enter this profession in 1984. Looking back I am glad I made this choice.

This is a satisfying career for those who value intellectual freedom — of course, within the constraints imposed by the system — and for those who like constant challenges. The teaching profession can give you plenty of them. During the course of my career I’ve had the freedom to design study programmes, experiment with new ideas and to venture beyond teaching into creative writing and journalism. I wouldn’t say I haven’t experienced frustration as well. But on balance I’m happy I made teaching my career of choice 20 years ago.

Creative resourceful teachers can’t be prevented from giving their best in classrooms. However an innovative mindset is required to transform constraints into opportunities. Take for instance the problem of mixed ability classes, which has long been English teachers’ main bugbear. With a little creativity teachers can transform heterogeneity into a resource. That teachers often complain about constraints shows that pedagogic creativity is lacking in this profession.

However it is true that lack of institutional autonomy is a major constraint. If teachers try to introduce innovations, they find plenty of obstacles in their way, even in autonomous colleges. This is because the system is hopelessly conservative and is managed by people, the majority of whom, as the late educationist V.V. John remarked, have the vision of a frog in a well.

I don’t think it can be bridged. But the functioning of government-run schools can be made more effective by involving the local community in school administration. This will enhance the resource base of schools and ensure people’s participation in the promotion of public education. Each panchayat or mandal should have a schools’ committee consisting of parents, teachers and people’s representatives. The committee should supervise the development of the school. Under the panchayati raj system it should be empowered to raise additional resources and recruit supplementary help.

Moreover well-established private schools in metros can adopt a few government schools and help upgrade them. For instance in the Anantapur district of Andhra, a Jesuit-run Loyola School has adopted eight single-teacher primary or upper primary schools in neighbouring villages. These schools are supported with teachers, materials, teaching aids, and teacher development programmes.

Let’s face it, there is nothing ‘high’ about our higher education system. With over 311 universities, 15,600 colleges, 35,000 teachers, and 9 million students, we have the second largest higher education system in the world.

But in the great majority of higher education institutions, standards are appalling. In 1991, there were 13,000 foreign students in Indian universities. In 2001-2002, the number decreased to 8,000. This is due to the growing perception all over the world that standards of education have deteriorated in Indian universities. With sub-standard instruction, research and extension services, how are we ever going to cope with the imminent competition in higher education in the wake of GATS? Incidentally, an average college teacher or administrator can’t spell out the acronym GATS.

Perhaps an open-door international-isation policy will shake us out of our complacency. The UGC has recently launched an initiative under which it has identified certain universities and colleges with potential to become centres of excellence and has given them special grants. I hope this will actually happen.

Best teachers (North)

Lakhanpal (left): literacy-education confusion

R.C. Lakhanpal

Founder-director of the Him Academy Public School (HAPS — established 1998), Lakhanpal has put the little district of Hamirpur (pop.8.8 lakh) on the education map of India. The academy has over 1,000 students on its rolls, of whom 300 are boarders. Earlier this year HAPS was presented the Himachal Kesari Award by the state government. In 2004 it won the Computer Literacy Excellence Award presented by President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Fully committed to his cause, Lakhanpal has motivated his entire family — wife, son, daughter-in-law to join hands with him to make quality education available in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh.

A physics postgraduate of the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani, Lakhanpal is the driving force behind HAPS, among the state’s most well-managed private schools. "I have introduced several pedagogy innov-ations in Him Academy. Among them are differentiated learning and lesson plans for teachers using the principles of the Panchatantra theory — developed by me using principles laid out in the Bhagwad Gita for managing students in the classroom, and the use of mind maps as effective learning and memorisation techniques," he says.

An advocate of radical reform of the examination system, he was a member of the first Academic Council and Examination Reform Committee of Himachal Pradesh University (1971-75). "I was instrumental in the university offering M Phil courses to in-service teachers through correspondence," says Lakhanpal, who has authored several physics textbooks for higher secondary students. He also set up Himachal’s first public entrance exams coaching institute in 1993.

Lakhanpal is a strong advocate of privatisation in the education sector. "Successive policies of the govern-ment have wrongly targeted literacy, rather than education. All available funds are squandered by government education departments. The more effective way would be to offer this money as scholarships to students to pursue education in proven private institutions of their choice," he argues.

Meera Bansal

Bansal: holistic education proponent

Meera Bansal who heads the social sciences department at Delhi’s CBSE-affiliated Lancer’s Convent, is joint winner of the TCS-Education World Teachers Award (North India) 2005. She was selected from a short list of teachers interviewed in Delhi for her inventiveness in teaching political science and leadership development interventions.

A political science postgraduate of Delhi University, Bansal began her career in 1990 as the author of competitive exam coaching books (political science and history). "However, I always wanted to be a teacher and soon landed a job in my dream profession. My ambition is to keep learning and teaching to the very end," says Bansal, whose students have attained remarkable academic results in class X and XII board exams. "Since 2003 Lancer’s Convent political science students have achieved a 100 percent success rate in board exams with most students averaging above 90 percent," she says.

A committed green activist, Bansal also heads the environment ministry sponsored eco-club of the school. "A teacher’s task is to help students overcome their inhibitions and acquire a holistic education beyond academics," she believes. Thus teaching political science has given Bansal the opportunity to initiate discussions and debates on wider social and political issues in the classroom. "I make it a point to encourage debate on political issues of national importance with my students. We have also established links with several NGOs in the area and every year depute student teams to write projects on their work and achievements," adds Bansal who also won the Best Teacher Award conferred by the Delhi state government in 2003.

A contributor to the in-house school magazine and a regular representative of Lancer’s Convent in education workshops and seminars, Bansal feels the education scenario, especially the examination system, needs a radical overhaul. "Evaluators — most of them government school teachers — tend to work towards maximization of their output by resorting to standard techniques in marking, thereby doing a great injustice to students. The evaluation process needs a complete transformation," she says.

Best teachers (West)

A former professor of zoology and dean of the faculty of science at Karnatak University,  Dr. V.B. Nadkarni (74) was adjudged joint winner of the TCS-EducationWorld Teachers Award (Western India) 2005. He entered the teaching profession in 1952 as a part- time teacher in a girls’ school and retired as professor of zoology in 1990. Currently Nadkarni, who has successfully guided 20 Ph D students, continues to mentor doctoral students in the sciences.

Nadkarni (right): merit-potential advocate

Many high potential people shun the teaching profession because they have to fight reservation quotas. While I am not against reserving some jobs for the SC/ST classes, I feel the prime criterion should be merit and potential. There are too many social and communal factors interfering with the delivery of quality education. This shouldn’t happen.

Secondly, inadequate infrastructure facilities especially in state government institutions are discouraging students from pursuing research. Third, education has become a business in many parts of India, rather than the noble mission it should be.

There’s a great quality divide between private and government — especially rural — schools. how can this be bridged?

There isn’t an easy answer to this question. But I strongly believe, as the Supreme Court has recently ruled, that private institutions should be encouraged and then given complete freedom and autonomy. They should be allowed to administer themselves and charge the fees they believe are reasonable. This is the only way to establish truly world-class institutions delivering the best education. Government institutions are subject to too many restrictions and conditions and can give only so much. Therefore private institutions should be allowed to grow to their full potential.

Prof. S.V. Kangune

Kangune: working conditions improvement plea

Prof. S.V. Kangune

I have always been passionate about education — so much so that it motivated me to leave my birthplace, a remote village in Nashik district, and move to Nashik city. After completing my M.Com I became a teacher which was a good decision because teaching has given me the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment. My objective is to give my best to students. This has given me a sense of direction in life, and has prompted me to give a sense of direction to my students. I doubt if there is another profession which can give as much satisfaction.

Teachers are not universally respected. They face constraints in the workplace and their working conditions and pay packets need drastic improvement. Most teachers in village schools have to suffer severe infrastructure shortages and seldom get their salaries on time. Moreover they have little opportunity to upgrade their skills and participate in teacher training programmes. Despite this millions of dedicated teachers have overcome, because they love their work.

Quite frankly, most government schools are just a "time pass" for teachers and students. Their teachers are a completely demotivated and frustrated lot. The nation’s priority should be improvement of infrastructure, working conditions and salaries of government school teachers. Only then will teaching-learning in government schools improve.

A common school system I can’t imagine happening in the near future. The infrastructure and teaching divide between private and government schools and between the rich and poor in Indian society is just too wide. It’s a laudable idea, but I don’t think it can be put into practice in the near future at least.

The working conditions and attitude of teachers across the country depresses me. Most of them are indifferent to their jobs and education is increasingly becoming a business. Teachers need motivation, official respect and regular teacher training programmes to improve education standards across the country.

Winners too…

Ten teachers who made it to the final selection round also received certificates of commendation for their proven teaching innovations. Of these seven were from the southern region and three from the western region. They are:

J.S. Patil

Dr. J.S. Patil,

Swaminathan

R. Swaminathan,

R. Sudhakar

R. Sudhakar

Suvarni Rao

Joycillin Shermila

Dr. A. Joycillin Shermila

Mini John

Dr. Mini John

Gowri Achanta

Gowri M. Achanta

Madhav Rajwade

Madhav Rajwade

M.K. Pal

M.K. Pal

Remediana Rodrigues

Remediana Rodrigues

Anees Khan is junior lecturer at the Government Junior College of Science, Amravati (Maharashtra). Afflicted with polio when he was five years of age, Khan has created a CD-ROM on a fresh approach to learning physics for secondary and Plus Two students. Unfortunately Khan didn’t attend the interview.

With Autar Nehru (Delhi) & Gaver Chatterjee (Mumbai)