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This story has been submitted by Hassan Abdullah.
Every religion has given huge status to the teachers. If I quote Islam singularly, it has given teachers the status of spiritual parents. It is also said that if a person teaches you a single word, he or she becomes your teacher. One should respect them. That’s proof of how respectful teachers are. In simple words, it shows how much important a teacher is for the development of society.
Though the definition of the word “teacher” is broad. However, unfortunately in Pakistan, it is restricted to a person doing job in school, college, and university. According to my understanding, a teacher is not only a person teaching in an institute only. A teacher can be one’s father, mother, sister, brother, friend, younger, elder, or even a book.
I have been listening about spiritual parents for a long time. But unfortunately didn’t get it as our teachers never proved to be spiritual ones. It is a teaching of Islam but I couldn’t understand it being in Pakistan. Until I came to know the actual meaning of spiritual parents in China.
West has given huge status to the teachers. They are seen as special citizens of their respective countries. The reason behind this huge status is that they are aware of their traits teachers. They are aware of the role of teachers in society. They know teachers are responsible for breaking or making any society. Teachers don’t differentiate between students and think that every student is their child. I have experienced these all traits in China. I have seen how students give respect to their teachers and how teachers return that respect in a great manner.
Respect cannot be grabbed forcefully. It is achieved through one’s actions. When everything is so much clear than where the Pakistani society went wrong?
We think teaching is the worst of all professions. It is a perception in Pakistan that “who don’t get anything becomes a teacher.” It is the opposite in the west. Becoming a true teacher there is a tough job.
How a person gets a teaching job in China?
If a person applies to a school, the school and parents of a child both interview the person. If the person is not able to satisfy the parents, he will not be allowed to teach in that school.
It was General Ayub era when Queen Elizabeth accompanied by her husband visited Pakistan. While interacting with students at a school, students were asked what would want to become in the future. Most of them wanted to become pilots, army officer, and so on. Prince Philip later told General Ayub that ‘your country future is going to be problematic as none of students want to be a teacher.’
Teachers in China don’t teach for money. They teach for their country’s future and want to see their students making difference in the world.
A survey done by Alif Ailaan said there are almost 1.4 million teachers in Pakistan. Over 40% of teachers, even didn’t receive early training.
Google ‘teacher’s scandals; in Pakistan. The first three pages will show how you news about them caught doing unethical acts with students. How is it possible for spiritual parents to leave examples like this for our upcoming generations?
My experience in Pakistan
I was on holiday in Pakistan from China. I wanted help in one of my research and my father talked to someone in a University located in Peshawar. When the professor came to know about the help he started ignoring me by giving lame excuses.
I wanted a sign on one of the forms. So I contacted one of my professors who works in a university in Islamabad. I got my degree from the same university as well. But once he came to know about the work, he even didn’t recognize me. Later some Chinese professors did my work on a single text message.
In Pakistan, once you are a graduate forget about the institution, even the teachers give a damn about you. There are many kinds of them. Some think their job is done once university is over. They will not recognize you at all.
This is the clear picture of Pakistan when comparing it with others. None of our academic institutions is in competition when it comes to world ranking.
Can we hope that one day we will get a teacher like Socrates who produced a student like Plato? Plato later became a teacher of Aristotle. We remembered them even today. I am really hopeless!
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