Teaching Is A Sacrifice, But For Whom?

Everyone works hard to provide for themselves and their family. So do teachers.

Given a choice, they would like to teach near their home, where the family gather, where there are relatives and friends, where they can buy all their needs and wants, and where they can do when they want.

And as the children grow, they have more things to consider, more areas to cover, and more headaches and migraines......

Recently they are told that the government is making it compulsory for teachers to teach at least 3-5 years in the rural and interior schools.

The education ministry is determined to see experienced and knowledgeable teachers serving in rural schools.

And all teachers are to view such postings as national service as well as for the love of teaching and for the students who were our future.

The news stunned them all........

Rural postings was no longer only for newly graduated teachers.

Fear and apprehension eventually took them.......

They were afraid they would end up in the rural ares permanently.

They were afraid that once they accepted postings to rural schools, they would be forgotten and left there for years by the ministry.

They had heard news of teachers who had been stuck in rural schools for 20 to 30 years.

Yes, the government was providing monetary and other incentive to attract teachers to teach in rural areas.

But the issue here was not money........ They wanted to be with their families back home.

Many walked and sat uneasily and began to grumble and complain.......

Why couldn't the government train more locals as teachers? These people could and would return to serve their communities once they graduated.

But just how many of these local teachers would do that? I asked myself. Slowly they would still be moving to the towns and cities too.

And so did all those who were successful in their works and studies........

Only the poor and illiterate remained there in rural areas, forever working hard for a living, with no one to hear their grievances.

And just how many teachers care enough to go there?

But why couldn't the government develop the rural areas faster?

More questioning and reasoning, everywhere and every time.

The coffee shops and roadside stalls were filled with people, more businesses and more money........

The shopkeepers and vendors were smiling broadly, serving their clients.

Everyone knows teaching is a sacrifice, but for whom?

And who cares what you think?