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KARACHI: The directorate of provincial school education department has asked all heads of schools in Hyderabad division to pull out chairs meant for teachers in classrooms as ‘teachers spent most of their time in the chair’ against the ethics of the profession, it emerged on Sunday.
An order issued by the director of school education on Friday said that teams visiting various schools in Hyderabad region had noticed that teachers “use most of their time by using chairs while teaching in classrooms”.
“It is non-professional behavior on their (teachers’) part — to spend most of their teaching time in chairs,” said the order.
It said that teaching should be carried out by teachers on their feet, “moving with use of gestures and body language in the class. That will be a supporting factor in the teaching and learning process”.
The order asked all head teachers to “take out teachers’ chairs from classrooms with instructions to the teachers not to sit on any (other) chair as well (while teaching)”.
In the same order, the director of school education ‘strictly prohibited’ use of cell-phone by teachers in classroom.
“Teaching of schools have been found using cell-phones in classrooms, which is an improper and non-professional act on their part. This office has decided to take strict action against those who do not follow this important code of conduct during their teaching-learning process,” said the order.
Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2018
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Comments (23) Closed
Aug 20, 2018 09:13am
This is a very foolish step and shows zero depth on the part of the ministry or the director.
The teacher is imparting knowledge and in the business of physical training.
The students will only laugh at this hit to the teacher.
Thanks..
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Aug 20, 2018 09:33am
In all the known history The Teachers always taught while sitting with students or students standing and teachers sitting. Don't know from where this nonsense concept of stay standing in classes have come. It drains out the whole energy of a teacher and I've personally seen and experienced that it horribly effects the efficiency of even very young teachers. Teaching is kind of a profession which is physical labour, mental usage along with high noted oration. It drains you out totally and it becomes impossible to stand up for such long times. The people who make such idiotic rules should try them on themselves first. Stand for an hour in your office first to check your stamina. Truly pathetic decision.
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Aug 20, 2018 09:53am
Teachers need to sit, who ever came up with the idea needs to stand eight hours a day and if he is able to then has right to implement this policy.
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Aug 20, 2018 10:22am
Standing for long hours in a single posture can create back problems, depending on the age/gender of person. The directorate officials should have taken advice from a good doctor panel before taking such decisions!
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Aug 20, 2018 10:57am
So what then?? They will snatch one from their students... Actually it is the mind frame that needs to be changed so that teacher him/herself does not get seated.. That aspect needs to be addressed by the concerned.
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Aug 20, 2018 11:03am
Well done director of school education !
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Aug 20, 2018 12:03pm
Occupational health hazard nothing giving chair to teachers, but yes teacher also don't need to just sit all the time those teacher needs to punished but not all.
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Aug 20, 2018 02:29pm
What has standing or sitting in a chair to do with teaching? With such fools at the helm of affairs, no wonder our education system is a total failure.
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Aug 20, 2018 02:32pm
Was the one issuing the order sitting on a chair?
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Aug 20, 2018 02:39pm
Will removing teacher's chairs improve education in Sindh??
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Aug 20, 2018 04:11pm
This is very inhuman step as teachers are also living beings not statues. My sister is teaching in a private school and there too they are not allowed to sit during teaching and this has greatly affected her physical health. There should be other reforms instead of torturing the teachers.
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Aug 20, 2018 04:15pm
@U Rana Well said and I agree 200%. The fact is we are living in a very ignorant age where each place is occupied by the most inadequate person. A blind and deaf owl is sitting on each branch of this country's tree. I hope Imran Khan will soon make reforms in our education system
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Aug 20, 2018 04:19pm
Very shameful act. A respectable profession like a teacher is humiliated in this way and this is the height of downfall.
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Aug 20, 2018 04:23pm
teaching should be carried out by teachers on their feet, “moving with use of gestures and body language in the class. That will be a supporting factor in the teaching and learning process”.
The directorate should know this type of teaching is for pre-school children and not for adults. Has he gone past this stage himself?
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Aug 20, 2018 06:19pm
Stupid idea!
Teachers should have the freedom to stand, sit, or walk while teaching.
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Aug 20, 2018 07:24pm
Very strange.
Learning comes through respect. Junior is sitting and elder is standing.how can a student be respectful to teacher who is disarmed by the wisest authorities.
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Aug 20, 2018 11:10pm
I taught grades 3 to 12 in 30 years. The first 10 years, we were not allowed to sit--at all!
Even pregnant teachers and those with mild/invisible disabilities were expected to stand up to teach all day.
When I taught in Canada, I had a choice, but because of my earlier training I stood up to teach instinctively.
But, As I developed hip problems, sometimes I had stopped and sit awhile to ease my pain and tiredness from it.
Here's what I found: A new educational hymn came down to us: "A teacher is not a sage on the stage but a guide by the side"!
I am sure that in Pakistan, students readily answer teachers questions. In Canada, they don't. So i had to assume that they did not know the relevant content. So, I had to explain things to them before tackling new material.
Please give back teachers their chairs. Encourage them to do more group work as needed and practical and let their health needs determine the use of chairs.
Standing teachers tend to teach directly and lecture!
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Aug 20, 2018 11:18pm
@Jawad :Teachers usually teach about five hours a day.
But they walk and stand to teach, monitor, and supervise students.
Taking away their chairs is mean and lacks good sense.
Teachers have to fill out forms, attendance registers, grades, and file student information without set allocated times. Teachers also have to sit down to discuss students issues so they are at eye level with them without towering over them--which intimidates some children!
Pregnant and otherwise physically ailing teachers need to rest their feet!
Please give them their chairs back pronto!
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Aug 20, 2018 11:32pm
@Zahid Sharfi, very funny comment. Teachers all over the world are encouraged to stand-up while teaching. The department is absolutely right. I wonder who is foolish.
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Aug 20, 2018 11:35pm
Most of the teaching jobs in Sindh are given to the political workers of PPP. They simply can't teach. So they can only sit and do nothing. By the way, most of them don't even come to school. PPP has actually destroyed education in the province.
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Aug 20, 2018 11:45pm
Teachers do not sit during teaching times in the Western World, they get break time in which they do as they please!
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Aug 21, 2018 12:19am
Respect the teachers please.
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Aug 21, 2018 02:49am
Good step taken by Directorate School Education Hyderabad. It has been observed that most of the teachers keep sitting in their chairs and ask the students to read the lesson or write the assigned work. By this way students are unable to learn properly. According to modern concept of teaching, teacher is facilitator. He/she facilitate all the students during the process of learning in the class. So he/ she must not sit in the chair.
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