ROOBIYA. K. M., RADEENA. D. N. SOCIAL SCIENCE OPTIONAL 2005-06 BATCH
In the field of education and literacy, Kerala has done extremely well. High life expectancy, low child mortality rates, awareness about hygiene and good health can be counted among the Malayalee’s achievements. And in all these achievements women have played an important part. Because a child’s health habits, concepts and imagination originate from the home or to put it more clearly, from the mother. The child comes to school from this home and the school becomes a second home for him /her.
The child begins the learning process at home through information received and his/her experience. A school should be a place for a continuation and broadening of this learning process. A school should impart social lessons to ready the child to become part of society. It is at this point that we begin to see the social relevance of the woman teacher.
WHY WOMAN TEACHER?
As mentioned earlier, women play a significant role in Kerala’s progress. In a child’s development and evolution of the team spirit, the school, as a miniature form of society is quite important. Interestingly the statistics regarding the number of women teachers also points to the need for more focus as women teachers. In 1957, just after the birth of the state of Kerala, only 41% of the teachers were women. Thereafter in 1976-77, women caught up with men and their numbers got equalised. 30 years later, in 2004-05 the records show that out the total 1,74,881 teachers 1,21,016 are women and only 53,865 are men. Which means that the percentage of women among the teachers has risen from 41% in 1957 to 69.5% in 2005! Women’s supremacy in this field has come to stay (see figure).
Year.........................Male .........................Female
1956-56...........................46128 ...........................31524
1961-62...........................64367 ...........................44490
1966-67...........................70362 ...........................54459
1971-72 ...........................78026........................... 68408
1976-77...........................82224 ...........................81984
1981-82 ...........................82007 ...........................96428
1986-87 ...........................77460 ...........................114124
1991-92 ...........................69577 ...........................121233
1996-97 ...........................62885 ...........................1256022004-05 ...........................53865...........................121016 source:statistical unit, DPI,trivanrum
In spite of the attractive salary, job security and social respectability why are men staying away from this profession. This is a question nobody is raising. And when the teachers’ organisations select their leaders, the representation of the woman majority is sadly being ignored.
NEW SCHOOL SCENARIO
In changing Kerala, new ideas have been put forward that education should be child centred and that the teacher’s role should be that of a co-student. This increases the social responsibility of the woman teacher. But what is being observed is that while the child’s world becomes wider the women teacher’s world is getting narrow. How can teachers as a whole overcome this malady?
The foremost need is to be able to identify the nature of the child. The woman teacher in her class faces children coming from a variety of social and economical backgrounds, -a miniature edition of society. It is the important that the teacher has the capacity to realise and accept these differences.
Women teachers should be given an upper hand in making education policy making and implementation at school and state level. There is a need for an organised movement to achieve this Apart from this, the woman teacher should be able to understand the changes in society and also put her knowledge into practice. The woman teacher should voluntarily participate in people’s social groups like Kudumbasree, Ayalkkoottam and Gramasabha. Discussing her problems with her colleagues is one way for a woman teacher to arrive at an understanding about her students.
WHAT CAN BE DONE DURING TRAINING
Eighty percent of the candidates studying at the numerous teacher-training centres in Kerala (Govt., aided and unaided) are women. But the mode of training indicates that this fact has been knowingly or unknowingly ignored till now. The B.Ed. curriculum should be designed in such a way that the teacher acquires the ability to take up social responsibility, identify the changes taking place and to decide by her self upon the necessary changes required in her work in accordance with the changes. The present method of ‘promoting’ the teacher’s commitment by increasing the number of record books has to end. In its place a new training method should be evolved that takes into account that the majority of teachers are women. In this way, teacher-training students will learn to think and act by themselves developing their own personalities and also widening the possibilities of knowledge and wisdom.
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