Students Rise and Teachers Fall: The Fall of the Guru's Grace

 

Students Rise and Teachers Fall: The Fall of the Guru's Grace

గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

అ ఆ ల నుంచి అద్బుతాలు చేయించే దాక నడిపిస్తున్న గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

మంచి చెడుల తార తమ్యం చెబుతూ సమాజానికి మంచి పౌరులను అందించే గురెవందుకో చిన్నబోతున్నాడు.

శిష్యులు ఉన్నత శికరాలు అదిరోహిస్తుంటే కల్లలో ఆనందం అనే వెలుగులు నింపుకుంటు స్వార్దం లేని ప్రేమని చూపించే గురువు ఎందుకో చిన్నబోతున్నాడు

కరోన మహమ్మారి ప్రపంచానికి మనిషి జీవితం రెప్పపాటి కాలం అన్న మహానుబావుని మాటను నిజం చేస్తే, ఉద్యోగాలు పోయి, కుంటుంబ బారాన్ని మోయలేక, ప్రపంచానికి ఉన్నత పౌరులను ఇస్తున్న గురువు బిక్షాటన చేస్తూ ఒక చోట, కాయగూరలు అమ్ముకుంటూ ఇంకో చోట కనపడుతు దయలేని నిస్సాహయ స్తితిలో ఉన్న గురువు ఎందుకో చిన్నబోతున్నాడు.

తప్పు చేసిన వారిని దండనతో బుద్ది చెప్పి సరైన మార్గంలో పెట్టే గురువు, మారిన కాలనికి తగ్గట్లు మారలేక, శిష్యులు తప్పుచేస్తున్న తప్పులు చూడలేక తలదించుకుంటున్న గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

తను తయారు చేసిన శిష్యులు తనకంటే  ఎక్కువ ఎదుగుతూ ఉన్నత శికరాలు అదిరోహిస్తు ఎదుగుతుంటే, గురువు ఎక్కడ ఉన్నాడో అక్కడే ఆగిపోయి శిష్యుల సంతోషంలో తన ఉన్నతిని చూసుకుంటున్న గురువు  ఎందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

దేవుని తర్వాత స్థానం ఇస్తూ "గురుభ్యో:నమహ:" అంటూ స్తుతింపబడిన గురువు, శిష్యుల చే వ్యంగాస్త్రాలు ఎదుర్కొంటూ,  వివిద మాద్యమాల ద్వార గురువుని హాస్యానికి వాడుకుంటుంటే ప్రపంచానికి మంచి చెడులు నేర్పిన గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

బ్రతకడానికి అవసరమైన నైపున్యాలను ప్రమపంచానికి నేర్పించి ప్రపంచాబివ్రుద్దికి కారణమైన గురువు సరైన గుర్తింపు లేక, చాలి చాలని బ్రతుకులు బ్రతుకుతూ, ఎప్పటికైన తమ బ్రతులు మారకపోతాయా అని గుండెనిండా ఆశతో ఎదురు చూసే గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

రోజు కల్లముందు నిలుచున్న ఇవ్వని గౌరవం కనీసం గురుపూజోత్సవం నాడు అన్న దొరుకుందేమో అని ఆశగా ఎదురుచూస్తున్న గురువెందుకో చిన్న బోతున్నాడు.

ప్రపంచానికి అభివ్రుద్దిని నేర్పిన గురువు తన అబివ్రుద్దిలేక, రోజు రోజు కి అందకారం లోకి నెట్టేయబడుతూ , చులకన చేయబడుతూ, మాటలు పడుతూ, ముందు ముందు తనతోనే ఈ బ్రతుకు పోనివ్వు, తన తర్వాత తరాల వారికి ఈ జీవితం వద్దు అనుంటూ,  పురాణాలలో దేవుని తర్వాత స్థానం ఇచ్చిన గురువే అలా ఆలోచిస్తున్నాడూ అంటే గురువు ఎంత చిన్నబోయాడో?

 మనిషి గురువుగా ఉన్న కాలం పోయి మిషన్ లు గురువుగా మారుతున్న ఈ రోజుల్లో, చిన్న బోతున్న గురువుని చూస్తూ  మీ లాంటి ఓ గురువు చేస్తున్న బావవ్యక్తీకరణ ఇలా మీ ముందుకు!!!.

 చిన్నబోతూ కోడ, నిబద్దతతో తమ కర్తవ్యాన్ని అంత:క్కరణ శుద్దితో తమ భాద్యతను నెరవేరుస్తున్న గురువులందరికి నా దన్య వాదములు

                                                                                                                                        Poetic Lines by : T.Raghu

Introduction:

n ancient India, the teacher—the Guru—was more than an educator. He was revered as a beacon of wisdom, a moral compass, and often worshipped even before God: “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara.” Students walked barefoot for miles to serve their Guru, not just to gain knowledge, but to attain enlightenment and character.

Fast forward to the modern era: the same teacher is now reduced to a "service provider," rated with stars, monitored by student feedback, threatened with transfers, and underpaid to the point of poverty. The chalk has been replaced by compliance reports, and the blackboard by dashboards. The question we must ask is: how did the most noble profession become the most neglected one?

As we chase rankings, research papers, and corporate-style educational KPIs, the soul of teaching is gasping for breath. What changed? And at what cost?

1. From Guru Veneration to Professional Obscurity

In ancient India, gurus held moral and intellectual authority. They were revered as community pillars: educators, mentors, and spiritual guides. Their role transcended academic instruction—they shaped character, ethics, and civic duty.

Today, in contrast, teachers—especially in private and ad‑hoc settings—face humiliation, financial precarity, and systemic neglect. Educators in Kerala with postgraduate degrees earn ₹5,000–15,000/month, often without benefits, while supporting entire households. Many juggle multiple tuition centers just to survive, undermining the full‑time classroom commitment they once commanded.

2. Teacher Salaries vs. Student Outcomes: A Stark Disparity

• In Nagpur, over 3,500 teachers’ salaries were stuck due to scam fallout, leaving families destitute for months 

• In Gujarat, 1.5 lakh primary teachers faced extended delays in March salary, disrupting household finances 

• In Mumbai, hourly contract teachers earn ₹250–300/hour, but often teach only a few classes and still need side jobs to sustain life

Meanwhile, students of these educators go on to become high-earning professionals—IT engineers, doctors, managers—thanks to teachers’ efforts. Yet those same teachers can't afford stability or respect. This wage gap is not just economic; it signals societal devaluation.

3. Systemic Exploitation & Fake Meritocracy

• Ad‑hoc and para‑teachers, numbering in millions, are frequently employed on temporary contracts with no job security; many have served for years without recognition or benefits. The tragic suicide of Samarveer Singh highlighted the mental toll of being paid “a pittance” and dismissed despite qualifications 

• In Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, large-scale dismissals and recruitment irregularities—sometimes wiping out tens of thousands of jobs—create insecurity and mistrust among teaching ranks

Teachers are used as numbers for rankings and research output rather than nurtured for pedagogy. Many institutions push for publications and performance metrics over classroom teaching. When the focus shifts to “rankings,” teaching becomes secondary.

4. Students’ Feedback as a Tool to Silence, Not Empower

Schools now heavily rely on student feedback to evaluate teachers. While participatory evaluation may be constructive in theory, in practice it often silences experienced educators:

• Teachers report pressure to “teach in a certain way,” prioritize lesson‑plan aesthetics, and conform to administrative demands just to maintain positive student ratings 

• When teachers dissent—on dress codes, performance metrics—they risk transfers, demotion, or being labeled “anti‑student.”

This trend erodes teachers’ freedom to challenge, innovate, or express moral authority. Instead of being respected mentors, they become performance-managed providers.

5. Discipline, Social Responsibility & Rising Crime

• In Hisar, Haryana, a school principal was brutally murdered by four students after disciplinary action—highlighting a breakdown in respect toward educators and lack of parental involvement in character building 

• In Aligarh, a 14‑year‑old girl attempted suicide after persistent harassment by a class teacher and being dismissed when she complained—exposing both abuse of power and institutional failure to support teachers or victims 

The erosion of teacher authority results in weaker boundaries in classrooms. When educators can neither discipline nor mentor effectively, students lose moral anchors. That void can lead to antisocial behavior and violence, as seen in the Hisar incident.

6. Institutional Priorities: Rankings Over Nurturing

Many educational institutions prioritize research outputs, board exam results, and brand visibility over teaching quality:

• Teachers are coerced into manipulation of vacancy records and salary increments, as seen in Maharashtra’s “Shalarth scam” involving bribes and falsified service records 

• Student outcomes tied to school grading can result in punitive policies: in Karnataka, teachers face salary cuts if SSLC exam performance dips below thresholds—a policy students blamed on flawed “no‐detention” rules and staffing shortages rather than factors under teachers’ control 

Teachers, then, become scapegoats or tools to chase institutional prestige rather than valued guides of young minds.

7. Student Feedback and the Decline of Teacher Autonomy

The rise of student-dominated evaluation systems often transforms a teacher’s role into a service provider. If a lesson is unpopular or inconvenient for students, the teacher is blamed. This kills creative pedagogy and erodes the trust necessary for genuine mentorship.

Teachers become risk-averse, avoiding difficult topics or moral instruction to avoid complaints. Without agency, they lose the ability to instill civic values, critical thought, or discipline—thus fuelling cultural degradation and indifference.

8. Real Lives, Real Distress: Who Lists Their Plight?

Media and policy attention overwhelmingly centers on student outcomes—dropout rates, exam results, coaching controversies. Rarely do we hear about the teachers:

• Teachers protesting for permanent status in Tamil Nadu earn ₹12,500/month with no medical coverage or benefits; despite 12 days of protests, there’s no resolution 

• Chandigarh’s teachers protested being forced to wear uniforms, arguing recognition should come through professionalism—not attire 

Most news headlines declare concern for students. Teachers are only mentioned as means to that end—even when they suffer.

Why It Matters: Toward a Restored Value of Teaching

• Character formation depends on moral exemplars. Without respected teachers, students lose civic orientation.

• Underpaid, undignified teachers burn out or break away—leading to brain drain from the profession.

• Institutional focus on rankings sabotages real education. The key function—nurturing ethical citizens—gets replaced by gamified performance metrics

Provocative Thought Points to Inspire Conversations

1. If a society doesn’t value its teachers—even financially—can it truly nurture human capital?

2. What happens when teaching becomes transactional, not transformational?

3. Should metrics like student satisfaction override expert pedagogy and discipline?

4. Can we reform contract‑centric hiring without acknowledging spiritual and moral weight of teaching?

5. As students become doctors, engineers, executives—who nurtured them? And where are those teachers now?

Conclusion: 

If You Undervalue the Teacher, You Undermine the Nation

When the teacher loses dignity, students lose direction. And when students lose direction, society loses its conscience.

We cannot build a responsible, disciplined, and ethical generation on the shoulders of disrespected and exploited educators. The crisis is not just educational—it is civilizational. By placing metrics over mentorship and profits over purpose, we are not just degrading the teacher; we are dismantling the moral spine of our future.

It’s time to stop glorifying teachers on Teachers’ Day and start protecting them every other day. Because if every professional is built by a teacher, then the question is not whether we can afford to value teachers—but whether we can afford not to.

References Links:

1. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/part-time-teachers-stir-enters-day-12-no-resolution-in-sight/articleshow/122787295.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com

2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/hisar-schools-shut-in-protest-over-principals-murder-demand-school-safety-act/articleshow/122591436.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com

3. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/coercion-backdated-entries-cooked-up-vacancies/articleshow/122800793.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com

4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/uniform-storm-teachers-protest-ut-puts-dress-code-on-hold-again/articleshow/122797784.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com

5. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/aidso-slams-govt-move-over-poor-show-in-sslc-exams/articleshow/121980500.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com

By

T.Raghu

Assistant Professor of English

SR Univrsity, Warangal

Contact: raghuresearch2023@gmail.com