How well schools are paying to teachers
The very popular marketing rule applies to all businesses including education. ‘When your internal customers are happy, only then are your external customers happy too.”
Only when an employee is kept motivated, he is productive. Therefore if you are paying your teachers well, looking after their needs, giving them respect and providing them hope for promotion, they will remain loyal.
The Importance of Teachers
Teachers play a crucial role in developing the mental and physical capabilities of our children. They teach them moral values, ethics, and good behavior. How can you put a price on that? Teachers should be offered fringe benefits and pension plans. The way we pay our teachers eventually affects the quality of education. If the teacher is bombarded with students and checking, how can she concentrate on the lecture, how can she provide individual attention?
After completing a degree, most people would not even consider teaching knowing how underpaid and unappreciated this job is. Teachers educate a nation but are not treated that way. At the end of the day, a teacher feels that she has overworked while the pay that she receives does not do justice to her efforts. She not only teaches a student, but she also looks after them like a mother.
Poorly Paid Job
Unfortunately, In Pakistan teaching is one of the underpaid profession. When a person cannot find a job in his preferred career, he starts looking for a teaching job. Public schools will just hire anyone who will work for very minimal pay.
Private schools have changed this concept. Many schools are now investing in teacher training and prefer people who are well qualified. However, the pay scale still remains very low.
Changing Trends and how things can be improved for our Teachers
Many private schools offer a good package to full-time teachers; their children study at the same school for a very small fee. Now that is a good offering. But can’t we be more generous to them? Can’t the government provide a teachers card and offer discounts to teachers at different government organizations like hospitals and clinics, for public transport, insurance plans specially designed for them?
Or is that too much to ask for? Private schools that are minting money should offer some vouchers for eating out, traveling and petrol for their senior and well-experienced teachers.
Teachers should be offered competitive salaries in order to keep them motivated and to attract well-qualified people to this profession. Those who show progress and frequently undertake training and/or courses to update their skills must be offered opportunities for growth and promotion.
Teachers are role models; they groom their students and have a great influence on their lives. Therefore hiring well-educated, passionate and hardworking teachers should be a priority for the government and school owners.
My teachers were my heroes! I still remember so many of them because I learned a lot from them. What about you…..do you remember your teachers who helped you be who you are today?
Educationist, researcher, writer and a passionate learner from Islamabad. She has been working as a freelance writer for more than 10 years now. From academic to content writing. Finally, she is doing what she loves; writing for education. You can reach her at editors@educations.pk