KOCHI: “A teacher should be someone who helps a student gaining knowledge, attain emotional growth and develop a patriotic outlook”, says 84-year-old Professor Ninan Thomas. After 52 years of experience as a Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) trainer and professor of Zoology at Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram (1962-1992), Ninan Thomas leads a peaceful retired life in Chenchery, Thiruvananthapuram, treasuring the memories with his beloved students.
For his students, Ninan Thomas was a strict teacher in class. Yet, his willingness to help students with their academics and overall growth made him very popular. Of all the batches he taught, the 1984-87 Zoology batch is in regular contact with him. For them, he’s a saviour, a hero more than a teacher. Ninan saved the lives of 28 students and a professor when they got trapped in Bandipur forest during a study tour in 1986.“We were three kilometers inside the forest and it was 3pm when the rear wheels of our bus suddenly got stuck in the mud.
Though the driver tried to get the wheels out, it didn’t work. I realised that we were stuck in the forest and that the only choice was to get help from the forest office. Though Bandipur was a tiger reserve, the area we got stuck in had the highest population of wild elephants. Soon, I announced to my fellow teacher and the students that I will walk to the forest office to get help. For me, their lives were most important. A forest jeep passed after almost one kilometre and they took us to the office. Karnataka minister intervened and everyone was safely rescued around 8pm,” remembers Ninan.
Those students are parents and grandparents now, and they call Ninan regularly and thank him for what he did. “A teacher should be ready to sacrifice for his students. I treasure the memory of this incident as it gives me self-confidence, courage and self-respect when things get tough at this age,” adds Ninan. He’s happy that many of his students still visit him when they are in the city and call on his birthday and anniversaries.
He believes that a teacher influences an individual the most. “The rapport between them is very crucial. A teacher influences the overall growth of an individual. Education is not just about acquiring knowledge, a student learns to behave from the teacher,” he adds.However, he is disappointed that the teacher-student relationship has changed drastically in recent years. “In our years, colleges functioned to serve society. Now, the education sector has become more of a business. That has brought down the quality of education. A student getting admission in a college by offering a huge capitation fee knows for sure that the system is corrupt. He/she will never have love for the college or teachers.
Simultaneously, the selection process of teachers is also flawed. The government needs to step in with strict measures to regain the quality of education, thereby reinstating the teacher-student rapport,” says Ninan. Though online classes are the need of the hour, Ninan says that the students won’t benefit much from it. “Of course the academics won’t be affected, which is a good thing. A teacher can greatly influence the behaviour of a student. He/she can analyse and correct the shortcomings of a student via online classes,” he concludes.