On Teachers’ Day, social activists here suggest that deserving teachers should be selected by students and parents, not by the administration.
At present the teachers who wished to be considered for the award had to apply to the State government through the office of the chief education officer from every district. While some teachers’ associations have underlined the need for transparency in the process of selection of teachers for the award, R Chandrasekaran, a noted social activist here said the students and parents were the ones who interacted with teachers and they alone should evaluate the best qualities of teachers in a holistic manner.
Child Rights activist Ruby Nakka said a grading mechanism for evaluation of teachers by students should cover innovation in teaching methods, motivation techniques, patience while teaching repeatedly, friendly approach etc. “The moment students are empowered to evaluate their teachers, I am sure the classroom environment would certainly undergo a sea change,” he pointed out.