Connecting the teacher and the student
GU: RU: kul: The word "gu" means darkness, "ru" means remover and "kul" means house or domain. Guru is a person who enlightens you and gurukul refers to the domain of the guru or the teacher where enlightenment takes place. From ancient times, we have come to know "gurukula" as an Indian concept of education wherein a student attained knowledge by residing with his teacher. The guru was more than a teacher; he was friend, philosopher and guide.
In that set-up, the "shishyas" or students lived a life of obedience to the master, havng left their homes in pursuit of knowledge. It is believed that life at the gurukula was not easy, rigorous norms were imposed and the students had to follow them without any argument. But at the end of their training, the students emerged not only as responsible individuals, but also gained enormous knowledge of the world through an informal setting. The students in turn would do household chores for the guru.
The knowledge transmission was mostly oral, highly stylised and personal. The disciples would imbibe their master's characteristics, hence the master gave that much more attention to the "shishyas."
Rapport lost
Contrary to this hallowed tradition, the present system of education came into place with the advent of the British. A structured, rational and impersonal institution was born wherein knowledge and experience was accessible to everyone. In the process, the rapport between the teacher and the taught took a hit.
Education over the years became gaining a degree rather than knowledge. Commercialisation of education set in and there has been a general decline in the system.
Now, some institutions are taking corrective steps, but they are far too few. According to Suresh Nagpal, Chairman of the Krupanidhi Institutions, who has mooted the idea of a "modern gurukula," the first corrective step that needs to be taken, if the rot in the education system has to be stemmed, has to do with the teacher as the teacher remains the core of knowledge transmission.
The key to teaching is that the teacher should be happy. At the Krupanidhi Institutions, the teacher is selected on the basis of his\her ability to establish rapport with the students, ability to deal with their problems (both personal and professional), command over language, and a temperament that is encouraging to the students. If these parameters are met, 50 per cent of the job is done.
Poor pay
And getting good teachers, Prof. Nagpal says, is difficult, unless the remuneration is substantial. Entry-level lecturers in the college run by the Krupanidhi Institutions are paid well whereas many colleges pay a meagre amount. Because of the low payscales, many a teacher supplements his or her income by giving tuitions. In the bargain, the teacher does not give his/her best to the students in the classroom.
In the Krupanidhi Institutions, the teachers are taken care of with the idea that they give their best to the students and do not conduct tuitions. The students and teachers of the institution claim that none of the students goes for tuitions nor do the teachers give tuitions. If a student is found to be weak, the teacher identifies the problem and makes the student to work on it after regular classes. The basic idea of the modern gurukula, Prof. Nagpal says, is to confront problems and turn a mediocre student into a brilliant one and a first class student into a distinction holder. He says his college has been giving importance to counselling of students. Each teacher ensures a close bond with the students. The parents are informed about the progress of the children.
The Krupanidhi Institutions is taking the help of Buoyancee Centre which is into personality development and students every week have to go through these sessions.
R. CHANDRAKANTH
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Karnataka
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
