 TEACHERS

Teacher is the key agent for imparting knowledge, change and national character building. An all India based voluntary organisation from Maharashtra working in the area of deprived groups describes teachers' vital role in the society as of "a friend, a guide and a philosopher who must be a character hero". Various aspects cove-red by the deliberations of non-educational institutions include: (i) selection, recruitment retaining and promotion of teacher, and (ii) enhancing status of teacher by improving their service conditions. Their major recommendations are:

The process of, selection of teachers has to be different than the general process. In section of teachers, not only the academic qualifications but professional competence, character, aptitude and ideals should be given due weightage. They may be selected on the basis of aptitude, and subject knowledge tests.

Teachers should be offered attractive pay scales so that better qualified people are motivated to take up this profession. They should be provided running scales. It is also urged that the existing inequalities in the pay scales of teachers at different stages of education should be reduced.

Teacher promotion should be made on the basis of efficiency and not on the basis of paper qualifications.

There, should be provision of dispensing with the services of inefficient teachers. After every 8 years, there should be reorientation and training of teachers and they should be given increased pay, scales after undergoing the training successfully.

At pre-primary and elementary stages, there should be integrated pre-service teacher education so that the teacher is useful to both.

Teachers in rural areas should be given special training, and orientation.

Teacher training institute must be well equipped with T.V. sets, audio-visual aids, models, charts, maps, reference books, laboratory equipment etc.

Teacher may be provided a matching grant of Rs. 1000 for meeting expenditure on teaching aids.

After every 3 years of services they may be provided six months of inservice training.

It is necessary to chalk out requirement of trained teachers at various levels i.e. primary, secondary and higher and plan accordingly.

For higher education also there should be some provision for training before taking up teaching profession.

Massive programme for inservice training be launched to give training to the existing teachers in new trends in pedagogy and the imperatives of new Educational Policy.

Teachers should be well versed in art of, pedagogy and. scientific methods in their profession and should strive for their excellence.