“I am disappointed and in dilemma what should I do”

“I am disappointed and in dilemma what should I do”

 (A case to understand why outstanding candidate won’t join the profession of teaching)

I received this message on Twitter from an unknown person.

“Hello sir

I am **** currently working as an assistant section officer in ****. I have been selected for tgt maths in **** Delhi govt school for which document verification process is on **sep2020. Now as I discussed it with many teachers of ****they advised me not to join school quoting following problems 

1. slow promotion like min 15 years for tgt to pgt 

2. Various duties like election, polio, census etc

3. Clerical workload in schools

4. No social respect as parents of students sometimes even abusive

5. Only 30-40 %of overall time is for teaching the kids

6. Govt school students not willing to study

7. Unnecessary burden by hos 

etc and explaining it told me that u can go to higher gazetted level in your current job.  I am from a very long time want to teach even I prepare for DSSSB exam with my office timings and now after knowing it I am disappointed and in dilemma what should I do. Please help if u can. U can contact me on ******** also

******* “

In the profession of teaching, teaching in Delhi Government Schools is considered as one of the best career options available in this profession. 

How do I make this claim?

I have seen teachers teaching in leading private schools of Delhi and NCR appear for the teacher recruitment exams of Delhi government schools. Hundreds of teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas switch from their respective organisations and appear in the teacher recruitment exams to get a chance to teach in Delhi Government Schools. To prevent this, Kendriya Vidyalaya has introduced a compulsory bond for all the new recruits so that they cannot switch within two years of their service. If they do so they have to pay a heavy fine of approximately 2 lakh rupees.

So… What’s the charm in Delhi Govt Schools?

You get a chance to work in the capital city of Delhi that too a government job and a job which is almost non-transferable. One can only be transferred within the capital city of Delhi. And now, teachers of Delhi Govt. Schools get a chance to visit different parts of the county and even abroad for their professional development.

Now, look at the case again. When there is so much charm, still a section officer finds it better to stay away. Forget about the best mind which NEP 2020 aspires to attract for the profession of teaching. Policy flags the issue that outstanding students don’t enter the profession of teaching. 

For a profession to attract outstanding students, it has to be desirable. It’s not difficult to understand what desirability is. We just need to ask a simple question… What are our outstanding students aspiring for?  With common sense, one can answer- It’s medical, engineering and civil services. What makes these professions desirable? It is…regular and decent pay, greater career mobility, the opportunity for global exposure and a sense of agency. 

Now look at the provisions that policy suggests to attract the outstanding students for the profession of teaching- merit-based scholarships, local job opportunities and housing facilities near the school campus.  Compare the two- the factors that make a profession desirable and thus attract outstanding students and the provisions that policy suggests to attract the outstanding students. What conclusion can you draw? 

Can we have the highest quality teachers without attracting outstanding students to the profession of teaching? Don’t you think that the question which this candidate has raised has serious implications? Would we ever be able to attract the best mind in the profession of teaching?