The following ideas can be from a naïve point of view or someone supposedly who can’t interpret or even figure out what an inherent meaning of any piece of writing could propose. However, I do believe anyone who reads for others, a striking impression attracts his senses, and ideas overwhelm his thinking and reflex. So, when you read about an issue related to what you have spent a lifetime in practising, things appear comprehensible to you. You can, no doubt, have clear view of what has been meant bearing in mind that people write for purpose in order to convey ideas and convictions on one hand. On the other hand, other people might as well do that just for the sake of pleasure or pastime without really feeling that the stakes are higher, far above their thoughts.
Accordingly, it appears easy for some to write about any issue and mostly when pointing out education, all become experts in the matter while theorizing and analysing with eloquent speech. No, never happened to any nation to overcome crises through talk, divination or hypothesis. It’s while working, experiencing and much commitment to issues that they engage in with heart, concern and conscience. Besides, when we disapprove such conduct, we certainly don’t aspire for our school to be a utopian society within Plato’s Republic. We innocently desire our children to acquire reliable knowledge in a safe and welcoming environment far from violence, conflicts on the hands of qualified teachers and caring administration.
Several reasons have always impeded us to reach that legitimate goal and could be behind that appalling reality. No doubt, the employment crisis may be among them to help induce schooling impairment. Anyone graduating from university hopes to have a job and the one accessible is teaching, so, with no hesitation or fear, the mission is accepted by all brilliant, but also dull ones. Later on those teachers, once in the field, are powerless. They can no longer cope with the multiple complications faced during teaching. Asking novice teachers theoretically to behave in such and such ways without equipping them with the necessary means to run through their duty which is certainly one of the hardest proved to be useless. Blaming them of any attitudes and conduct towards students, students’ low level or even students’ orientation towards support courses has been revealed to be groundless. They are alone struggling to satisfy all parties while neglecting their real objective; thus missing the target! Even offering sweets (bonbons), speaking nicely to students or befriend them can do much good to provide a fit climate because the atmosphere is already polluted.
So far as the school is concerned, failure is unquestionably beyond those issues of teaching methods, syllabus or psychology. It subsists in some key decision makers’ mentalities. Their bad management and direction have always created an atmosphere of suspicion and insecurity due to which have emerged cheating, absences and corruption phenomena within this sensitive sector which is susceptible to every failure. Condemning teachers of (selling courses), students of illegal ways to gain grades and the rest of the team stay watching while enjoying the game, sometimes encouraging other times scolding! Now, no way out, merely time for the harvest! The game is not yet over!
Many an intelligentsia, in our country, is awfully able to state problems and comedowns of the school without providing real and practical solutions that really help enhance better conditions of teaching and learning. Their mouthpiece:” It’s none of our business, hit upon the teacher!” By confusing institutions’ roles, they guide this sector to mischievous dilemma. They deliberately judge some as being responsible and exonerate others although they all have shares with unequal degrees on the deterioration of the educational sector. Hence, education process is mainly a culture developed by the collective efforts of parents, administration, teachers, university and government. That revealed to be one key that makes a good and aware teacher, and involved and motivated students.
There are some good teachers who can truly reach students’ needs, fill the vacuum and feed that shortage in information by a slight touch. As people nowadays access all media means, connecting with one’s students via social networks can greatly ease and break barriers as to give both sides opportunities to much mutual understanding and hilarious harmony. Devoting time in front of the computer screen interacting and guiding those sleepless surfers of the web, should be evaluated highly as long as precious initiatives require our support as they are wilful and thoughtful. Though it is free but that effort cannot by all means be useless. This work, I do believe, urges us to be grateful to the ones who starve to be attentive to fulfil those minds with viable knowledge…
To teachers with endless respect and esteem.
Mebrouk Benfettacha
28 April 2016
