Teacher of the Fortnight Change Pedagogy

Quality teaching has degraded to the extent that the classroom wears a deserted look most of the time in regular colleges,” reminisces Subhash Chandra Mishra, who had his classes full during his career of teaching Political Science in different colleges of Odisha for over 36 years.

Mishra, who started teaching in 1963 at Puri SCS College, left for University of Birmingham, UK, for a Diploma in Public Administration in 1967. After coming back, he joined Khalikote College in Berhampur and then taught at Dhenkanal and lastly at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, till the end of his teaching career.

Mishra was one among a few of his contemporaries in the colleges whose classes students eagerly waited to attend. Apart from teaching, he was involved in NSS activities in the colleges for 15 years. His publications in local newspapers were highly appreciated. He was also an advisor to the College Union and Dramatic Society.

“But the situation is disheartening

nowadays. Except five per cent of the students who attend classes regularly, others just spend their time on unnecessary activities,” he says. “Though many good students are attending class, lack of knowledge and interest on the part of the teachers to guide the students outside the classroom is a possible cause for the students’ involvement in wrongful activities,” adds Mishra.

He loved his subject but teaching Public Administration and Modern Political System was his forte. To impart the best to the students, Mishra spent hours in libraries reading books and accordingly referred them to the students.

Suggesting a better system he says, “In the UK, the teachers were given maximum freedom, study materials, individual rooms, 24-hour library facility and the classrooms were more interaction-oriented unlike just delivering a lecture here.”

Prachitara@newindianexpress.com