Unfair attack on teachers

Letters

THE letter ‘Call to recruit qualified teachers’ by Concerned Citizen last month is a slap on the face of hardworking teachers.
These teachers work under extreme conditions and are not recognised by successive governments.
Following are reasons that contribute to students dropping out after Grade 8 and 10 each year.
Each year Grade 8 and 10 students are competing against each other for limited spaces in high and secondary schools.
If your child does not make it to secondary level, then there are two possible reasons why this happens.
In the other scenario where your child is academically competent but does not make it to a secondary institution, then the cause is variable.
Teachers are not the only agents to be censured.
Educating a child is a shared responsibility.
All parties concerned in the nurturing of the child – socially, spiritually, economically, mentally and physically – should be reproached.
On the contrary, however, teachers are not immune to this dilemma.
They too should be equally blamed if they do not have proper qualifications.
Parents, on the other hand,
must make study environments conducive for their children’s learning.
As we have seen, practically all schools in the country do not
have all these important resources in hand for the students,
and so the responsibility now shifts back to parents and guardians.
All parents and guardians should be well-versed with their responsibilities and take ownership.
This fact cannot be isolated.
Parents are the ultimate agents for the success of their children’s education.
Many students in secondary schools lack English vocabulary and are not able to structure a single sentence – both in written and verbal forms.
Some even can’t speak English.
The last player is the government of the day.
If it does not live up to its expectations and provide for our children, then the responsibility is transferred back to parents, first, and then, to teachers.
Here, parents will meet the tuition fees, purchase stationery items, etc.
Teachers will have to be highly-innovative, research-oriented and well-equipped with the ability to improvise.
May I appeal to the Concerned Citizen of NCD to get his facts right.
Do not hide away the share of your responsibility and shift the blame entirely to the poor teachers.

Nagi Meibus
Kudjip Nazarene High, Jiwaka