Breaking the Backbone

It's cliché to say that education is the backbone of a society, but sometimes it's imperative that we remind ourselves of the value of education, especially when teachers, the main architects of education, come under assault. The mistreatment of Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, the headmaster of a Narayangonj school, has brought national attention to how our teachers are treated.

Shyamal Kanti Bhakta is not the only teacher to be assaulted by power-hungry politicians and fundamentalists. Media reports often surface about the mistreatment of teachers, but usually such stories do not get traction. Nonetheless teachers, especially those in remote rural areas, remain vulnerable to mistreatment. Teachers are increasingly becoming the victims of religiously motivated 'witch hunts'. According to media reports, teachers in different parts of the country have faced physical assault, intimidation, and in some cases, lost their jobs because of allegations of insulting religion.

The assault on Shyamal Kanti Bhakta was vicious. It appears that some powerful politicians employed a vile trick to teach him a lesson as he was not complying with their unethical practices in running school affairs. They accused him of blasphemy and incited the local people. He was physically assaulted in the presence of a local Member of Parliament. He was forced to squat holding his ears, which is considered an extremely humiliating punishment. According to a media report, Mr. Bhakta established the school's image and had been teaching for about two decades. He was heavily invested in his mission of passing on knowledge to next generations. But unfortunately, rather than rewarding him for his noble work, power-hungry politicians and officials humiliated him in public!

Not long ago, we saw another teacher, Professor Rezaul Karim of Rajshahi University, brutally murdered in broad daylight. He was not only a dedicated teacher but also shared his immense knowledge outside of the classroom setting. He wanted to uplift the children of the backwaters of the rural community he came from. Teaching was not merely an occupation for him. Unfortunately, his mission to educate others cost him his life.

We must protect our teachers, nurture them, and hold them in high esteem if we want our economy to grow, if we want to protect our environment, and sustain liveable communities. Without committed teachers, we will never be able to educate people, which is a stated goal of the global community. It's that simple.

UNESCO's 2013/14 Education for All Monitoring Report highlights the progress member countries made, identified obstacles for achieving the goals, but most importantly, reminds us the value of education by citing empirical evidence. The report says that just one year of school increases earnings by 10 percent globally. Working adults with a primary education were 20 percent less likely to be poor, the report says. Girls' education has even more transformative effects. According to the report, an educated girl will increase her chance of getting jobs, improve the health of her children, and help her country stabilise population growth. Analysing surveys from 56 countries, the report says that for each additional year of a mother's education, the average child attains an extra 0.32 years in school.

Bangladesh is making tremendous economic growth and is poised to move to a middle-income country. Undoubtedly, education will be the primary driving force for the growth. The UNESCO report says that a mere one–year increase in the average educational attainment of a country's population increases annual per capita GDP growth from 2 percent to 2.5 percent.

Education not only results in economic growth, but also helps materialise a better society. The UNESCO report cites that education lowers tolerance towards corruption and ensures accountability. Most importantly, education, as the report says, reduces the sense of injustice, which in many cases fuel conflict and social unrest. Education also helps societies strengthen bonds among people - a key condition for building cohesive societies.

The UNESCO report underscores the need to support teachers. "An education system is only as good as its teachers," the preamble of the report says. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that quality education is tied with quality teachers! But the UNESCO report reiterates this point with empirical evidence: the quality of education goes up when teachers are supported!

The UNESCO report points to another issue that has special relevance to what is going on in Bangladesh now. The report makes a strong case that teachers must reflect the diverse student communities they serve. Religious minorities are increasingly coming under attack in the recent spate of execution-style killings. The unabated spree of killings is taking a toll on people whose job entails speaking and writing. Thus teachers, writers and publishers are increasingly feeling the pressure to keep their thoughts and ideals within themselves. Imagine a teacher withholding his or her thoughts for fear of violent and humiliating consequences! This is certainly creating a chilling fear in teachers, especially in those who are members of minority religious communities. Its effects are bound to be felt in the students they are entrusted to teach.

More opportunities for acquiring knowledge in a variety of fields have opened up due to tremendous development in information technology. But this does not diminish the value of a good teacher one bit, especially at the primary and secondary levels of education. Teachers interact with students on a daily basis, care for them, and help them learn. There are some bad apples who breach this trust, but most teachers create a safe environment in schools where students can play and learn. All of us can probably remember at least one teacher who inspired us.We should thank our teachers and support them. In the wake of the Narayanganj incident, the Education Minister was the first among politicians to stand with the teacher and took quick administrative steps. The Narayanganj incident has outraged the whole nation. Now we need concrete actions to protect and support our teachers. We should not let anyone break the backbone of our nation. 

The writer teaches media and communication at a college in the US.