Substance over form

After many days I spent some quality time reading the newspaper. Luckily it was Sunday and there was something more worthwhile than the political nonsense that usually fills the pages. I came across the following article dealing with education, titled Wake up and smell the coffee (The Hindu January 29, 2012). The author rightly pointed out the plague of our Indian educational system. As a corrective measure, the following points were suggested:

1. To emphasise substance over form
2. Having quality educators ...

I firmly agree that most often teaching becomes just another profession. It isn't! It is a noble task, for it enriching both the teacher as well as the student. Furthermore a teacher, if truly committed and competent, can work wonders in the life of the student. I do believe that helping students focus on the substance of life makes education holistic and worthwhile the effort. If not, even a computer or a tape-recorder can be labelled a 'teacher'.