Role of Teacher in the Twenty First Century

 The Importance of the Teacher

Manu’s Smriti pays a great tribute to teacher when it opines that of him who gives natural birth and of him, who gives knowledge, the latter is venerable. Teacher, since ages, has been called Guru, the dispeller of darkness. It is he who sets the whole teaching-learning process. It is he who builds up desirable attitudes

and approves or disapproves pupil’s behaviour. He influences his pupils by what he says and more by what he does. His attitude towards his world of work, his life in general, his practical

philosophy of education, his interests, ideas and attitudes condition learning, therefore, are important for pupil’s growth. No society can be more dynamic than its system of education

and no system of education can be more dynamic than its teachers. The quality of an educational system depends upon the quality of teachers who man it. More than any other factor, the failure of any

educational system can be attributed to the lack of professional zest and dedication among teachers. The Education Commission (1964-66) has rightly said, “Of all the different factors which influence the

quality of education and its contribution to national development, the quality, competence and character
of teachers are, undoubtedly the most important…’’ The National Policy on Education (1986) has also stressed the urgent need for the total reconstruction of Indian education system and in doing so it has expressed faith in teachers and has shouldered them with a great responsibility by saying,
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“Teachers will continue to play a crucial role in the formulation and implementation of education
programmes…Nothing is more important than securing a sufficient supply of high quality of
recruits to the teaching profession…” The importance of teacher becomes manifold when it is
believed that no society can rise above the level of its teachers and again when it is often blamed that our entire educational system is responsible for the prevalent negative values in the society. Society
has highly materialistic approach. ‘Mind pollution’, is surpassing all the pollutions. Corrupt norms of the society, ugly forces of communalism, separation, subversive tendencies, murders, riots,
selfishness, corruption, religious and social disputes, social and economic inequality, misuse of power etc. are corroding the value system of the children. Society calls the teacher to shoulder this
responsibility to check the progressive erosion of values. Whenever any reform in the society is anticipated, teacher’s participation becomes important in several ways. Man is the most precious source of national development and that it is not the number but the quality of people, which sets the
nation to the path of glory and progress. The National Policy on Education (1986) emphasised that human being is a positive asset and a precious national resource that needs to be cherished, nourished and developed with tenderness and care. Question arises: Who is the gardener to care this valuable asset of nation? Undoubtedly, ‘the teacher’ is the answer. Now we have entered the 21st century, which is the age of science and space. Drastic changes are occurring at global level which shows that man shall move forward by leaps instead of steps. Amidst the competitive world, India is emerging as a developing country. National development has remained our constant focus
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that is closely related to human resource development (HRD) which aims at making the existence of each and all people valuable. We need educated leaders, lawyers, judges, trained engineers, doctors,
teachers, managers, executors, administrators, artists, agriculturists, industrialists, writers, craftsmen, journalists, etc. to spur our country’s development. Only the quality teachers can produce educated populace to match the speed of development. So, it becomes very important to select the teacher trainees possessing those equipments and qualities which may help them in playing their new and challenging role.

 Role of Teacher in the Twenty First Century

The new age is caught in the web of GOLIT where globalization, open market economy, liberalization and information technology are directing the future course of the world and are breaking the geographical, financial and cultural boundaries information technology has opened the floodgates of knowledge and
presenting the same through millions of websites. The knowledge is
no more found only in books, captured in teacher’s mind or stored in
elder’s stories. Now it has also been stored in the computers which
can be accessed on demand in bulk when needed. The rate of
expansion of knowledge appears to be increasing and teaching has
enhanced access to information worldwide. Education for 21st
century, therefore, needs to enhance an individual’s ability to
assimilate, evaluate and apply the available information.
Globalization is affecting all fields of life. This is a challenge to the
system of education as well as to the teachers. Thus, globalisation
calls upon the teachers to change their roles to meet the future
demands of the society.
The twenty-first century is witnessing not only explosion of
knowledge in science and technology but also an explosion of
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student population. These scientific and technological changes make
a heavy demand on the knowledge and role the students are going to
play in the future, because in a progressive world the students
should develop the active adaptability. Changes in the societial set
up demand corresponding changes in education and the role to
teachers. In order to equip the child to face the challenges of the
century, the teacher needs to perform many roles.
In fact, the teacher plays some general roles which are
common to all individuals and plays those roles in life time
invariably. But he plays some specific roles also which are related to
his profession and are interrelated with his general roles. A number
of roles a teacher is to play are the following:

As an Inspirer

Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no
hold in the minds of learners. The teacher has to manipulate the
atmosphere in such a way so that he can inspire and imbibe in his
students an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. The revolution in
the computer age has lead many to question about the relevance of
the teacher in the learning process. The larger amount of
information available is likely to create confusion in the minds of
students and the guidance of teacher becomes more necessary.

As an Instructor

The most significant role which a teacher has to play is
providing instructional input as it determines and influences the
academic output of students. It refers to the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and values which students are required to acquire in
accordance with our national goals. In order to play this role
effectively, the teacher has to:
 update his own knowledge , develop appropriate attitudes and
values and improve his own skills,
 adopt appropriate and innovative teaching methods and practices
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keeping in view the age, grade and receptivity of students,
 come down to the level of students,
 emphasize on learning rather than on teaching,
 use a variety of teaching aids and improvise teaching aids with
great skill and efficiency, encourage students to interact and
participate in the teaching learning process,
 encourage students to review, rehearse and practice,
 conduct continuous evaluation and provide feedback,
 make diagnosis of student’s learning difficulties and
 provide remedial instruction to students who need it either before
or after the school hours.

As a Manager

The teacher has not only to teach different subjects in different
classes but also to play the role of a manager. As a manager he has
to ensure that the work assigned to him is done and is beneficial to
students and the organization. He has to:
 plan his work very carefully,
 set his short and long term objectives,
 organize and execute students and physical resources
systematically,
 control, monitor and evaluate the performances and progress of
the group continuously,
 follow the principles of democracy in classroom management,
 create a conductive learning environment,
 behave in accordance with the ideals of his profession,
 be approachable and understanding in nature and
 be a leader of the group under his charge.

As a Counsellor

As a counsellor teacher is not expected to solve problems of
students. Rather he creates situations where by students will be
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able to develop insights into their problems and take their own
decisions to solve their problems. As a counsellor the teacher has to:
 help students to choose subjects in accordance with their needs,
interest and abilities,
 help students to choose streams-medical, non-medical and
humanities in accordance with their aptitudes and aspirations,
 assist students to take advantage of scholarships and financial
assistance,
 advise students on the procedure of admission in institutes of
higher education,
 help students to choose appropriate books and reference materials,
 assist students to know about institutions which provide
vocational and technical training, mode of selection for admission
to the course, fee structure, duration of training, stipends
available and placement opportunities,
 assist students solve their personal problems,
 help students to solve their health problems, and
 guide students to make proper use of leisure time.

As a Community Leader

The most fascinating role which the present day situation
demands is that the teacher has to be a community leader. In fact,
this role was also expected of a teacher in the past. But today, in
view of the rising social, economic and educational problems, the
thrust is more on teacher as a community leader than on any other
role of a teacher. As a community leader, the teacher has to :
 create awareness among community members about welfare
schemes,
 create awareness among students and community members
about developmental programs initiated by the government and
local bodies,
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 organize advocacy programs relating to their schemes and
programs, educational reforms and innovations,
 mobilize the community for participation in all such activities for
attainment of the goals set in the stipulated periods,
advise and guide the community for communal harmony, and
national integration,
 participate and lead the community in literacy campaign, Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan, population education, environment cleanliness,
immunization, tree plantation, crisis and disaster management
etc.,
 attend community meetings, festivals and functions which offer
opportunity to the teacher for establishing contact with
community members and rapport with the community leaders,
 interpret to the public the school’s programs, the country’s
developmental plans and educational policies and
 be familiar with all changes and developments in educational
policies and programs.

As a Social Engineer

Many pupils lack the requisite skills to cope with social life.

Their lack of confidence in themselves hampers them in handling a
variety of social encounters. In addition, nuclear and extended
family relationships obviously affect the development of social skills
among them. In schools children come from diverse cultures and
family backgrounds, so they may need help in bridging their social,
economic and cultural differences. At the same time he is required to
inculcate human and cultural values among the new generation.
Therefore, the role that a teacher plays in the child’s social
development must be recognized.
To perform all these roles the teachers should have many
qualities and traits. The teacher is required to improve his own
competence, technical skills and strategies. Professionalism for a
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global society demands teachers to be innovative in their attitude,
flexible in their approach, inquisitive and reflective in their mind and
always refreshing themselves with the day to day increase of
knowledge in their subject area.                                                            ( Dr. Ravinder Rathi)