CHENNAI: Srikriti, a teacher education centre, in association with the British Council, organised a panel discussion on `Changing role of teachers in the knowledge society' here on Saturday.

K. Pandia Rajan, managing director, Ma Foi Management Consultants, said it was not possible to tune the education system to employability, as the industry scenario was very dynamic. "We need more alignment with industry at college level. Finishing schools to train students in specific skills will help," he said, adding, "Investment in primary education and infrastructure is very important."

L.S. Ganesh, head of the Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, said teachers played a vital role in taking a student through various stages of learning such as awareness, familiarity, understanding, internalisation and mastery. "Teachers should seed the yearning for mastery in children," he said.

Aruna Rathnam, project officer - education, UNICEF, said school education formed the base in the education pyramid.

She said teaching qualified as neither a profession nor a vocation since it lacked peer group review mechanisms or social prestige. She also spoke about the trends in the rural set-up, as against schools in urban India.

Mallika Mani, director of Srikriti, said there was a lot more to teaching than mere diplomas and certificates. She said panel discussions were organised to promote healthy discussions and to throw light on issues concerning teachers and students.

Students of the graduating batch, which has been offering teacher-training programmes, received their diploma certificates. Teachers shared their experiences with the audience. For details on courses offered, contact 24990529.

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