Hardships, Hindrances and Hurdles Encountered by Teachers in Emerging Education Scenario

Bit by bit teachers are facing new challenges and role played by them has become more complex and complicated. Now goddess of money (Lakshmi) is venerated more than the goddess of wisdom (Saraswati), in other words commercialisation of education, thus money has become a major issue in education. Nowadays teachers are facing various problems, challenges, impediments, obstacles, hardships and hurdles in current emerging education scenario. Those problems can be classified broadly in two categories viz. inside the classroom and outside the classroom which are discussed hereafter.

Although many papers, hard copy journals and electronic journals were gone through to a have a perspective regarding the subject matters.

A brief questioner with (open-ended questions) was distributed to fellow teachers of the researchers. It was given in two forms i.e. hard copy personally and soft copies via social media. It was distributed to around 100 teachers. Even some critical cases an oral survey was conducted. The data so collected was compiled and concluded manually as it was based on open-ended questions. A copy thereof has been annexed herewith.

Nowadays teachers are facing various problems, challenges, impediments, obstacles, hardships and hurdles in current emerging education scenario. Those problems can be classified broadly in two categories viz. inside the classroom and outside the classroom which are discussed hereafter.

Inside the class room problems are those problems which are coupled with the teacher, learner, content, curriculum, size of class and the class room infrastructure, and teaching aids etc. In fact those problems are directly associated with with teachers so they affect the teaching and learning process directly. A few inside class room problems are listed hereinafter. Although this is not an exhaustive list of the hardship, hurdles and problems faced by teachers, gradually newer and newer predicaments are being accumulated in this list.

Many a time teachers have to teach in a class room where number of students is much higher than the specified by norms, especially in government educational institutions. The ratio between teacher and student makes the class oversized. This may be either due to shortage of teachers or lack of sufficient number of government educational institutions. Infect rapid expansion in population has overburdened the government educational institutions. Oversized class room becomes a place of mess and chaos and makes the teacher tiresome and exhausted as it requires more time and energy for classroom management and also makes the task of monitoring tougher for a teacher. Lethargic students are also a hurdle for a teacher as they have poor concentration and are reluctant in their studies and also create problems for fellow students. In a class room some students are found who have delayed response or have lethargy or bunking the classes. Lethargic students always try to create negative atmosphere in class room and try to deviate the teacher from topic and ruin the class atmosphere. It also makes delivering lectures an exhaustive task thus such lethargy or delayed response also ruins teacher learning process.

A class room consists of many students who have different learning needs and skill. Even most of the students differ in age also. Some of them high cognitive skill and some have lower cognitive skill. Those students have different learning pace so a teacher faces many problems in maintaining optimum learning pace for all students as they have different learning ability. Delivering the same content to the learners of different pace is a really big hurdle for a teacher. So for this purpose multiple intelligences are needed and consume more time.

Sometimes teaching aids are not available or are not being used in class room to improper arrangement of all teaching aid such as black board, white or green board or multimedia projector. In many class room boards are not visible to students, especially, back-benchers due to glare and refection of sun or lighting futures. However, proper arrangements are being made to overcome, but this problem is quiet common in villages, and backward area. Further there is also dearth of proper arrangement of suitable sitting arrangement of students.

A class room is consisted of many audio visual aid such as blackboard, white board, modern multimedia board other things such as fixtures and fitting like furniture and lighting. Power failure in suburban and rural areas in summer season is also predicament for conducive and ideal learning environment and further audio-visual aids cannot work without power. For effective communication and teaching such facilities are needed, but in many educational institutions especially government institutions such infrastructure is either unavailable or insufficiently available. So without such facilities even a teacher with high potentials may not be able to deliver his / her best.

The modern life of people has become very stress full due to many social, emotional and financial reasons etc. Students are unwilling to accept morale values, social values and good thoughts from mentors and lose patience in class. Such stress has decreased the tolerance power of both educators and learners and has raised the bigotry. Lack of tolerance among learners and educators creates class room conflict during the dialogue in the class room. Again this conflict between mentor and learner leads to unrest in education system. Now a day’s teachers are also facing many social media and its misuse challenges this has made class room environment unhealthy for the teachers. Insolent and obstinate behaviour of students is also responsible for unhealthy and non-harmonious relationship between teacher and learner is a major hurdle in creating conducive class room environment for teaching and learning process. In many students try to ask stupid and non-relevant questions just for fun and to disturb the class.

In the modern word, life of people has become very hectic. The dreadful fact is that students have time for leisure but not for revision and study. Most of the students and teacher have busy schedule and it has been worsted by using internet, mobile and social media. The other reason for it lazy life style of people and unplanned life style, and physical fitness. People find it difficult to manage their schedule and timing for education. In this modern word it is widely complained that the most of the people have the shortage of time. This so called shortage of time creates problems for both educator as well as learner.

This is the most recent and complex hindrance faced by teachers in unban and sub-urban areas. Invention of cellular phone is a great boon our life but it has many disadvantages if not used properly. Sometimes students use electronic gadgets such as mobile, music-player at back benches in larger classes. Misuse of mobile phone in class room by students is possible. Some time students capture the photos in class room, especially of women teachers, and upload them on social media. Misuse of social media such as face book, twitter, instagram and Whatsapp has threatened the class room Environment. Nowadays social platforms are used for spreading rumours and grapevine. It has been reported few times that electronic gadgets are also used as an unfair means in examination hall.

Outside the class room hurdles and hardships are those problems or obstacles or impediments which are not directly associated with the teaching learning process in the class room rather they affect the teaching learning process indirectly as work as the extrinsic work force such as emoluments paid to the

also works as extrinsic force on education system of a country. A few of outside class room problems are cited hereafter.

Gross enrolment of students in any academic year in an education system is not is not proportionate especially in our country. In fact the number of students enrolled in educational institutions is much higher than available work force of the teachers. Enrolment of students in excess number leads to overload on the existing work force of the teachers. It creates the problem of poor class room management and non-conducive class room environment. In turn overloading on the teachers leads depletion of teaching and learning process.

Various policies and recommendations are made mostly by those usually who are not academician. For academic reforms various committee are formed and such committee usually consisted of non-academician, usually civil servants or bureaucrats or retired judges of higher courts or Supreme Court. In such case non-academicians may not be aware of problems and challenges faced by teachers. Usually bureaucrats are appointed as the head or chairman of various committee or commissions. Even those appointments are criticised on political grounds even those outcomes of recommendations commissions becomes the matter of political debate. In many cases the outcomes of those commissions or committee lead unrest in the mind of teachers. It has also been observed that bureaucrats are usually appointed as vice-chancellor of universities and they do not have experience of academics and consequently leading to futile efforts.

In our country expenditure is a part of planned expenditure which is allotted in Union Budget and State Government Budget as the case may be. But if we compare this allotted amount with other sector then we will found that it is very less. A large amount is spent in field of defence services and comparative lesser amount is allotted to education sector. To uplift the standard of education infrastructure should be sounder and for reinforcing the educational infrastructure more amount should be allotted in budget as planned structure. Although amount of planned expenditure is raised every year but it is not increased in proportion of increasing funding requirement. In India teachers have to perform many additional duties and responsibilities especially in case of government teachers. Census and election duty are discharged by government teachers and it is mandatory. Teachers of government educational institutions are deputed for census other door to door survey work which is tiring and time consuming work. Similarly teachers of government educational institutions have to work during various elections such as parliamentary elections, state assembly elections, municipality elections and village panchayat elections. Elections duty is mandatory for government elections. Teachers cannot refrain themselves from election duty, in many case even female teachers have to travel a long distance to discharge their election duty. So such mandatory duties hamper the academic performance teachers.

A few time policies framed and schedule by office and administrative staff don’t support the teachers and in turn it hampers their academic performance. Such policies are either have hiccups or pitfalls or don’t purport the teaching-learning in class room rather than theoretical and further some policies do not fit in modern system. In fact bureaucrats make policies on paper in air-conditioned offices which are quiet away from reality without consolation of faculty members. If decision are made jointly by teachers and administrative personnel’s than it would improve the performance of teachers.

In schooling education system PTM is one the method of interaction between teacher and parents. Teachers give the feedback to the parents through parents and teachers meeting (PTM) and also discuss the ways to overcome the problems encountered by the students. But in modern time parents are not giving support to the teachers, further there is no provision of parents and teacher meeting. Thus lack of support from the parents’ side creates many problems such as communication gap, bunking of classes, bad behaviour of the students and disciplinary problems.

Present education system is somehow associated with the politics especially government education system and influenced by ruling government. Ruling government of the centre or the state government influence the various aspects of education system as head of the institution, curriculum, holidays, and emoluments provided etc. Even text books are re-written according to desire of ruling government.

performance of educational system and vice-versa.

Teachers of government colleges and universities may be deputed in various other government departments such as political advisor or in many other cases they are sent on lien to other departments in spite of the fact that there is acute shortage of teachers especially in higher education. While those teachers are on lien or on deputation but they draw their salary from their home departments. It not only creates shortages of teachers but also creates financial burden on educational budget. Even in many cases teachers get retired with joining their home education department.

The education system of India is third largest in the world and it is too complex and complicated that it has lead red-tapism. There is a lot of paperwork, piles of files and undue lengthy meeting and etc. Especially in government departments teachers encounter bureaucracy, hindrances and a long series of rigid rules and regulations. It is dreadful facts that instructions and orders move downward swiftly towards teachers but feedback, advice, suggestions and grievances of teachers do not move upward to appropriate authority due to red-tapism in various concerned departments. Further there is dearth of synchronization among various councils and departments i.e. there is no harmony and coordination in concerned departments, legal bodies and councils, owing to this there is delayed planning and execution thereof.

The education system of a nation is consisted of several types of environment such as technical, legal, economic, political and social environment. In fact all types of environment work as collective force as all types of environment discussed affects either directly or indirectly our education system. Sometimes teachers are not able to cope with above changes. Resistance to change i.e. not resilient, is one of the reasons for non-adoption of technological, legal or economical updates. If teachers do not accommodate themselves with changes and updates then they may have emotional and mental stress owing to the fact that updating is an integral part of teaching profession.

It is is the latest and emerging issue which is causing concern in the education sector. It has been stated known business tycoon and renowned industrialist have entered into the private sector education. There are many senior secondary public schools and private universities across the country, especially in metros and big cities, which have been established by business families. It has been observed many times that in those institutions teachers are overloaded by work but they are underpaid. In other words goddess of money (Lakshmi) has smothered the goddess of wisdom (Saraswati). Due to commercialisation of level of education is deteriorating in private sectors and teachers are held accountable for that and consequently leading a pressure on teaching community. That’s why it is rightly said that “Education must not be run for profit but must run like a business”.

Another study may be conducted to stumble on the negative outcomes of a teacher as consequences of hardship, hindrances and hurdles encountered by him /her. Further another study may be conducted to combat such of hardship, hindrances and hurdles. It was observed in literature review and data analysis that a few psychological and educational construct such as Emotional Intelligence, Self Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, Multiple intelligences and Teaching Effectiveness may be helpful in combating hardship hindrances and hurdles encountered by teachers. More studies may be conducted to explore the emerging concepts of education psychology such as

The data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. It was given to the teachers working who were in touch of researcher. Geographical area of survey was limited. Further it was bases totally on open-ended questions. Further there were the constraints of man power, money and time. Further response rate was very low. Even in many cases teachers were reluctant to disclose their problems.

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Research Scholar, Department of Commerce and Business Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, (A Central University), New Delhi rkbrkbjg@gmail.com