Growing up as as children in primary school in the 1990s, our primary school teacher asked each of us to mention the career we would like to pursue in the near future. The answers given were
:pilots, doctor, engineer, air hostess etc. The Almighty profession(teaching) was never mentioned. Well, as a little boy, my comprehension level was not matured enough to understand why teaching as a profession was not mentioned by any of the pupils.
After over twenty years of the event, my mind drifted back to some of the activities that took place in my class and that particular event never failed to present itself. I began to wonder why not even a single child was willing to be a teacher. The puzzle, which lingered in my thinking faculty for years, was solved after I met the best and greatest teacher of all time—Sir. Experience.
I worked with Mr. Experience and experienced his expertise for 7years. During my work with Mr. Experience, I noticed that teachers in our dear nation are going through hell. We are living in a country where teaching as a noble profession is relegated at the background. The importance that is attached to teaching in this country is nothing to write home about. There is no denying the fact that teachers and teaching profession for that matter, is the bedrock of human resource in terms of formal, informal or non formal education.
Teaching has given birth to all professions that are rated higher.
It is interesting to note that most of our leaders were once teachers and having acquired the most coveted political position, forgets to formulate policies that will better the lives of teachers.A teacher will work for about 40 years and over with a paltry pension pay but a politician’s allowance for a year is either close to the teacher’s claim or more than that.
It is also sad to note that what teachers receive as salaries is no near what an office loafer occupying political positions get as his allowance.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that, teaching is a very difficult job which requires creativity and resourcefulness.
Socrates once said “Teaching is the turning of the eye of the soul from darkness to light”. Therefore, sowing the seed of knowledge on a “blank mind” is not an easy task at all.Coming back to why children do not want to pursue teaching as a profession, it has become evident that comparatively, other professionals are treated better than teachers. This is because they see other professions to be more lucrative. Hence, it takes people with passion to pursue the profession just like nursing.
Another point worth mentioning has to do with the attitude of the society towards teachers. Recently, it’s been circulated in the media by GES that parents can directly pick up a bone with any teacher t that canes a student. This is so disheartening. Parents have now been given the nod to fight teachers. I know for a fact that most parents abuse teachers at home whenever
they receive complaints from their wards. Hence a bad image is created about the teacher.It’s high time teachers are recognised as key agents of socialisation otherwise in some few years to come, the number of teachers in our classrooms will take a very serious nosedive on the account that most of the children are shying away from the profession.
OSEI PREMPEH AGYEMAN
