‘Teachers can change lives with a mix of chalk and talk’

Mysuru, 15 July2016:Kalpana Gopalan, Principal Secretary of DPAR (Training) and Director General of the Administrative Training Institute, on Thursday said the role of teachers is vital in today’s “knowledge society.”

Delivering the valedictory address of the 109th orientation programme for university and college assistant professors, organised by UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, University of Mysore, Dr. Gopalan dwelt on the role and relevance of teaching. She said with the advent of technology, there have been some fundamental changes in the learning environment and teachers need to be aware of such changes.

“We need to change with change and this requires new approaches to our work. As we dwell and work in a ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘knowledge society’, the role of teachers is vital in making the classroom innovative, creative and enjoyable,” she said. She said teachers can change the life of youngsters with the “right mix of chalk and talk.”

She also said quality matters, not qualifications. She called upon the teaching community to engage in building a strong and vigorous civil society in addition to constantly updating their professional knowledge.

UoM Syndicate member Shruti Tharun Giri, who was the chief guest, said, “Knowledge acquisition is vital, and it is especially important for teachers as they are the disseminators of knowledge.”

He said teachers have three main functions — knowledge acquisition, knowledge transmission and knowledge creation are the three important functions of the University teachers. “I am sure this kind of orientation programme provides opportunity for teachers to update their knowledge not only about subject discipline but also about society, culture, economy and polity,” he said.

Lingaraja Gandhi, director of UGC-HRDC, spoke of the importance of teachers familiarising themselves with technology. As the learners have become smart with technology, teachers too should not be lagging behind, he said.

Forty-three teachers from Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra and Kerala participated.

The Hindu