TEACHER, A SPIRITUAL PARENT

It is said that a teacher is a spiritual parent who is considered to be the first brick or block in the structure of social development and perfection and the cause of guiding and developing behaviors and mentalities of individuals and communities. Being a Muslim, Islam, the religion of peace, emphasizes to spread education and receive education. To seek knowledge is a sacred duty; it is obligatory on every Muslim, male and female. The first word revealed of the holy Qura’an was "Iqra" READ! Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated! Surah Al-Zumr, ayah 9 reveals: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 269 reveals: "Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted indeed he receives an overflowing benefit." Hence a teacher’s importance could be definitely gauged by these verses.

Today, it feels too pity to see the conditioning of a teacher especially here in Pakistan. Professional teachers are gradually being eliminated. Although a few of professional teachers are educating in Pakistan, they are losing their respect by the students attached with various political parties these days. Incidents to manhandle or beat a teacher are too usual and their intensity is increasing day by day because there is absolutely carnage or anarchy every where and ill-mannered students are not brought into book or account for as they are supported by various political parties. Those who used to be coward behave like a lion today due to party support.

If an unprofessional teacher is disgraced or insulted due to being involved in immoral activities, it feels better because that teacher is defaming the teaching profession but insulting and manhandling a professional teacher who is performing his duties well is unreasonable. Students from a political party manhandled a professor at Punjab University few years ago. The professor was involved in harassing female students and various girls alleged that the professor called them in his room and sexually assaulted them. Also a room that was used for these activities by the professor was shown in various newspapers. A question arises here was manhandling the professor by the students right? Those having their sisters will surely answer that it was right to beat that professor but that professor should have been punished more than he deserved.

Recently an incident took place at University of Karachi in which some students from a political party manhandled a male teacher whereas pushed his wife badly. That was a very different issue because there was a minor issue between the couple and the students. According a report published in a well known English newspaper says that the students in a car overtook the couple. The male teacher scolded the students getting out of his car whereas the students started to hit him.

Now compare both of the incidents of manhandling teachers at Punjab University and Karachi University. It feels too pity observing that Media especially electronic media remained completely biased on these two different issues. After the incident at Punjab University, the media tried to defame the party whose students manhandled the professor involved in rape attempts on girls. Many programs including talk shows were aired to discuss on the incident and the party was seriously castigated. On the other hand, the media are silent on the incident at Karachi University because the party is considered to be very influential in the city. No programs are being aired to discourage this incident, even the media are not stressing to immediately arrest the students involved in hitting the couple. Teachers are daily staging protest demo in support for the couple whereas the couple was being pressurized to retreat from the incident. Classes are being boycotted and the students are losing their study. Why are the media so biased on this issue? Why are they silent? The media should be working freely and support positive points of any party and discourage all negative points because this is the real aim that should strictly be followed by the Media. Also the students should comprehend the value of a teacher. Can any educated man beat or manhandle his own father or mother? I believe not! So, respect your spiritual parents. The real parents just bring you up but the teacher teaches you the way to spend your life. Respect teacher and succeed.