JAWAD ALI SATTI

ISLAMABAD.

Practising Lawyer at Islamabad.

CNIC#61101-062112407
Mobile# 0334-5112298

Teacher`s day is being celebrated all around the world on 5th October
every year. If the sequence is to be made on the priority basis of the
different world days, it is obvious that the teacher`s day would be on top.
No doubt the teachers are the candles which burn themselves to
light the dark side of students and in broader sense of whole
society. Our social, cultural and even the religious norms tend us to
show huge respect to our teacher. As Hazrat Ali r.a says `` stand up in
respect when your teacher or parents visited you even if you are king of
the state`` this quotation shows the importance in one aspect by relating
the teacher to the level of the parents and then by showing that even if
you have achieved the highest status of the state or society indeed it`s
nothing before your teacher.

The day recalled me the chapter of the book of the Great Ashfaq Ahmed
``zaawiya`` in which he stated that he was teaching at ROME
UNIVERSITY and on day he was fined by the traffic warden due
violation of traffic rules, he (Ashfaq Ahmed) forget to pay the challan on
the due date and therefore the court summoned him. He says he arrived
in the court and the honourable judge when came to know that Ashfaq
Ahmed is a teacher and teaching at ROME UNIVERSITY Judge stood up
and declaimed that there is a teacher in the court and everyone stood up
including the faculty, police officers and everyone present. Then entire
manner of judge changed. He ordered to bring a chair for Ashfaq Ahmed
in the balustrade that he must not stand while we sit as he is a teacher.
Then the judge stated in a poetical language:

“Oh respected teacher! Oh teacher who educate the world! Oh most

respected man! You are who ordered us of court and justice, and you
taught this knowledge, and it is because of you that we stand today
where we are. So, we are bound by your command that we check you
according the discipline established by court despite we are abashed of
it. And we are very sad that we are trailing a teacher, no one is more
respected than whom. “

Ashfaq Ahmed says that he himself was very ashamed and nervous of
what had started and just wanted to get out of there. I said to do what
your law and regulations say and I am here for it.

“It is a very painful occasion for a judge that a teacher be trialed in the
balustrade of his court. So, with the extreme of shame, grief and
sadness, we are doubling the fine” said the judge.

Now out of the court balustrade, he was walking out humbled of himself
and then a strange thing happens. That judge and all of his faculty and
managers started walking behind him saying “A teacher in the court”.
They were walking him out and also walked behind out of respect of
teacher. He says, he wanted them to go back to their work and did not
know what they would after taking him outside but they didn’t go
anywhere and walked him to his and stood there until he had started his
car and gone away.
.

Here in Pakistan we could not even imagine this, as in the case of the DR
professor IRFAN SADDIQUE on the minor issue of Tenant Agreement
the police arrested him without proper investigation and the Sitting
Government condemn the act of the police, while the professor saddiqui
posed in Newspaper holding a pen in his hand while he was hand cuffed.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan it is the part of the daily news bulletin that the
teachers were protesting for increase in pay or for the convert the nature
of the job from contract basis to permanent basis and then they were
stopped by using the water cannons etc. It is very unfortunate that
whether under the reign of the dictator or any elected governments no
one put any type efforts to lead this profession on the track of respect
and privilege as it deserves. No is policy ever seen by any government to
make this profession as respectable and appealing as the engineering
and medical professions are. The financial condition is merciful of the
teachers, If one dares to be part of this profession the example of the
present condition of their teachers are warning siren for them.

It is sad that now this holy profession turning into the great business as
the honourable chief justice said in one of his judgement regarding
private schools. And the consequences are the teaching profession is
losing the deserve respect whether it is due to home tuitions providing to
the students rather than teaching at school or due to the non-influencing
personalities they have whatever the reason are. Matter of the fact is that
if teacher teaches the lesson to the student about the importance and
essentiality of the morning walk by yawning face this will not make the
teacher their role model. Consequently, the students will not act on upon
the lessons apparently the lines are not important as the interpreter
himself didn`t acted upon. From this very beginning it has been set in
the mind of students that the subjects they are studying has no
importance in his daily life these are just lines to memorise for passing
the exams. And this mind set can be seen even at the university level of
students. Who will teach the students that knowing is not enough we
must apply. In result our institutions every year producing only degree
holders not the professionals. If one look at the passing ratio of aspirants
of the CSS exams he can with easy hands conclude that the `ratta
system` is prevailing in our educational system, even the graduated
students are weak to do critical analysis of any issue and to give their
opinion regarding that issue and what is cause of it? The simple answer
to this myth is, when at the initial stage the roots watered by yawning
face the lazy result is obvious rather than surprising.

However, I am of the view that the teachers should have uniforms like
the police, doctors or advocates or like any privileged professions have.
The government should announce this type of policy so the teacher can
be recognised at every level through their uniform.

Secondly the pay should be increase and each and every possible
privileges that can a government grant should be granted to them. If we
treat them like most superior part of our society believed me they will
produce the most superior society.

On the flip of the coin teachers should well equipped with the modern
knowledge of the 21st century. They should read a general book every 2
months other than their subjects. A professional teacher should know
``how to teach`` rather than `just teach` and this is the only skill which
make them differ from the other professionals.