FACULTY ACCOUNTABILITY AND WORK ETHICS
Anil Chotmarada
The Indian ‘guru’ is no longer a paragon of selfless dedication to the profession of learning and teaching. That learned person with the missionary zeal has been replaced by a career minded teacher who takes the job of imparting education as a profession and no a divine vocation. The elevated rank of a ‘teacher’ in the society has been demeaned by uninterested and mediocre people to the extent that the profession is now seen with suspect. While the teacher themselves are a cause for the degradation of this respectable vocation the system and societal attitudes have been no less instrumental in bringing disrepute to teaching.
It would, however, be absolutely unfair to lay the blame of the present malaise on just the system or only the teaching professionals. It may be worthwhile to analyses objectively the reasons and causes behind the present state of affairs, where this class of the educated elite has to resort to a method as undignified as a strike to highlight its discontentment.
There is no doubt that the malaise in all types of college education is very serious with reasons and ramifications which are essentially common but may differ on peripheral issues because of local situations for different types of colleges. For the purpose of simplification and a avoid generalization this paper would delve into the problems of only technical colleges and technical teaching. While there are problems which are basically the same in all types of college teaching, technical colleges have problems which are of nature a little different from other teaching institutions.
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Technical education is concerned with teaching of applied subjects and producing professionals proficient in their chosen field of study. Meaningful imparting of this education would be based on sufficient liaison of the institution with the field work and actual application of this learning in terms of professionally experienced faculty and improvements based on feedbacks from the professional practice. A product of this programme would be expected to independently run a practice, if not immediately after, acquiring the first degree, then after a few years of apprenticeship with a practicing professional.
THE FACULTY
It would be useful to know and understand the members of the technical teaching community to appreciate their problems. No surveys have been conducted to determine the exact makeup of this community and only a general categorization can be made. Barring exceptional cases, there categories should be quite representational.
A staff member of a technical college teaching faculty is a trained technocrat with at least the basic qualifying degree of his profession if not additional degrees of some kind of specialization and some professional experience. Such people are generally trained only in their branch of study and have no specialized training in teaching systems and methods. The types of technically trained professionals who opt for teaching can generally be classified as:
a) Mediocre professionals incapable of survival in the competitive professional world.
b) Overly hones professionals incapable of reconciling with the unethical professional practices.
c) Dedicated and committed professionals seriously interested in research and academics.
The first category does no suggest that all mediocre technical professionals end up teaching. Most of these indifferent professionals end up in state and public agencies where credence is given only to certificates and time spent in the profession besides other considerations which have no bearing with the persons merit or work capability. In the competitive private sector, which is also the most lucrative, only the fittest survive. An incompetent professional generally tries to get adjusted first in a public or state organization failing which thinks about joining the teaching faculty. The reasons for the teaching profession to accept such people are generally the causes which necessitate accountability.
The second category is made up of professionals who are good at technical aspects of their profession but are unable to adopt themselves to the business applications of the profession. If the profession is seen as a business then the stress areas of the application tend to be different requiring an aptitude to compromise, cutting corners and at times running the risk of getting into unprofessional acts though these might be commonly used in ordinary business. The teaching profession, in spite of all the weaknesses, still permits people of integrity to live up-to their standards with dignity, without weakening their basic level of honesty.
The third category is made up of people who take to teaching solely because they are interested in academics and research. Such people are generally not concerned about the meager materialistic returns of teaching or the lure of practice. Their only aim is to honestly propagate the profession and enhance the theoretical aspects of the profession though research and publications.
NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
The teaching profession in the institutions of higher learning has drawn a lot of criticism because of unethically practices being adopted by some members of this profession. There are apparently many reasons for discontentment with the profession which lead such people into adopting methods which makes accountability a necessity in a profession which should otherwise be a model for society.
Low financial remuneration in the mid term of the career compared to other professions is one grouse the teachers have against the national policy planners.
Lack of motivation to do well is another cause of discontentment. There is no tangible measure of success and in any case there is neither any stick nor carrot for the teachers.
Lack of mobility in terms of changing the working environment is another cause. Once a person joins the faculty of an institution, it generally becomes a lifetime relationship. This is caused more because of our social systems than institutional policies. This results in a lot of frustration.
Lack of research facilities can be cited as another cause for good technical to look for professional gratifications elsewhere.
Last but certainly not the least is the fundamental issue of human honesty, integrity and weakness. In a societal system where corruption is an accepted norm of life it cannot be expected that teachers would be able to fight the temptation of being unethical, especially when there is no punishment for the corrupt and the unethical.
These unethical practices could be in the form paying less attention to their assigned duties than to projects of professional consultancy or unnecessary tuition; or taking their teaching assignment as a part-time job on a full time pay and attending to some other business which has not bearing to teaching; or pandering to students and authorities because of lack of teaching ability; or politicizing to make any headway in teaching; or misuse of institutional facilities for personal gains.
ACCOUNTABILITY METHODS
Having seen that accountability is a necessary evil exploring methods for implementing it becomes imperative.
Ideologically students would be the best gauge to measure a teachers and that is who a teachers should be answerable to; but given the character of student community that we have at present this may lead to uncalled for pandering on the one hand and victimization caused by vested interests on the others.
Analyzing examination results could by another method of making teachers answerable. This system should be used only if the examination system is totally honest and the grading absolutely unbiased. Comparative analysis of results can be done only of situations which are akin in teaching facilities and methods. This could be used as a local system for intra-institutional evaluation provided the first condition is met.
The academic and administrative head of the institution could be empowered to punish and reward his staff members based on their performance. This has the danger of victimization or partisanship where the head of department is not a strong person. In this case the head would become totally and individually accountable for all that is happening in the institution. Managing an institution is not a one man’s job but requires teamwork under a dedicated and honest leader.
A most balanced way of evaluating teacher’s performance and making them accountable may be possible by compiling the reports of three independent, unbiased jurors who are acquainted with the institution and the person under consideration. These jurors should decide a gradation system and must evaluate all aspects of teaching. It would be preferable if teachers are not aware of the identity of their jurors. The jury could be made up of members within the faculty so that each faculty member is accountable to another.
In an overview the best method of accountability is self accountability. Let each teacher be honest to himself and follow the dictates of his conscience; for this it is necessary that society makes the teachers a contended person. When the teacher is given his due there may be no need for accountability. The profession should be so lucrative in materialistic and other terms that it becomes any technocrat’s first choice. It will by itself draw the best personnel and only the most efficient will be able to stay.
Anil Chotmarada is a Faculty & Director in Gateway College of Architecture & Design, Sonipat-131001, India.