About Teacher Professional Development by Niroj Dahal

My understanding about “Teacher”

As I know that, a teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils (children) and students (adults) whose role is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. A person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college but in our country because of political all thing are lacking to be a good teacher. The professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy, the science of teaching etc. Teachers, like other professionals, may have to continue their education after they qualify, a process known as continuing professional development. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study. A teacher's role may vary among cultures and in need of the country. Teachers may provide instruction in literacy and numeracy, vocational training, the arts, religion, community roles, or life skills.

A Teacher union in Nepal is an organization of teacher workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better performance conditions. The teacher union, through its leadership with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates contracts. The most common, but by no means only, purpose of these organizations is to “maintaining or improving the conditions of their difficulties in teaching learning approaches ". In some countries, formal education can take place through home schooling. Informal learning may be assisted by a teacher occupying a transient or ongoing role, such as a family member, or by anyone with knowledge or skills in the wider community setting.

About the Teacher’s Union of Nepal: - Teachers’ Union of Nepal (TUN) is a federation of teachers associations. TUN is the single body of teachers duly registered under the provision of Educational Act of the country with jurisdiction to work for the promotion and protection of the rights, morale, status, and concern of teachers in public school system as well as in private institution. TUN is an independent body of teachers and accepts no interference from any other educational, social, political, professional bodies and state agencies in its organizational affairs and dedicated to the rights, welfare, morale, dignity, and professional solidarity of teachers .(http://ntutun.org/about). Moreover, the common beliefs that Unions are more concerned with the salary, compensation and benefits of its members than with their growth in the professional, several National and Local Teachers’ Union are working to change this perspective.

Teachers’ Union Roles:- The general functions of teachers’ unions in Nepal as well as in worldwide are: defending teachers rights and jobs, securing improvements in working conditions, including working hours and health safety at work, improving pay and other benefits, including holiday entitlements, encouraging governments to increase teachers’ participation in decision making, improving sick pay, pensions and injury benefits, and developing and protecting the skills of union members enabling them to compete in the changing nature of political economy. Working conditions are also linked to curriculum, books and the teachers’ skills to keep abreast with new developments and the vision of teachers for a better life, liberty and dignity. It is also a necessity to foster gender, social justice in the life of the union. But the notion of solidarity the social power of teachers’ unions is a lynchpin to shape true democracy in the life of each individual member, union, nation, region and the globe and influence decisions and actions (http://www.telegraphnepal.com/national/2011-07-08/nepal:-role-of-te...).  

What Do Teachers' Unions Do in Nepal?

The job of teacher is a professional occupation. Teachers normally have organized Teacher's Unions. Most, but not all, of the teachers join the union. Yet, many people do not know what a Teacher's Union is or what it does and why we are involving in this sort of union. I tried to addresses that question, and explains a bit about Teacher's Unions.

Purpose of Teachers' Unions in Nepal

The main purpose of teachers unions is generally to be a strong, unified advocating body for teachers. Unions advocate for teachers, but have an interest in the functioning of the overall education system. Unions are comprised of professionals deeply interested in, and passionate about education. Through the strength of their numbers, Unions are also able to provide a wealth of resources to their members that members would usually otherwise not be able to afford. These resources alone are perhaps reason enough to join the union, since access too many wonderful tools would otherwise not be possible without the union.

The larger unity among teachers, workers and other professionals through unified structure in particular and unified trade union movement in general. Ensure democratic trade union rights of teachers and promote their status and morale by enhancing their professional quality. Build alliances with other educational stakeholders, civil society organizations, and trade unions in securing effective educational intervention in fighting poverty and deprivation. Build organizational capacity and commitment in promoting freedom, democracy, justice, and human rights for all sections of society. Promote and build alliances with other teacher unions, trade unions, professional bodies, and social organizations at both national and international level in realizing its vision and mission. Mobilize and motivate teachers, students, guardians and the people of their daily interactions in achieving education and Development Goals. Protect and promote the right of every child in securing quality education in a child friendly atmosphere with focus on the notion of school democracy.

My own Experience on involving in the Teachers’ Union

I have been teaching for 5 years and have taught in a village/city with a very strong teachers' union and I’m currently teaching in city where the union is practically non-existent.  As someone who has experienced both sides of the argument, I can say that there are no clear cut answers. In the village with a union, I saw people in classrooms who had no business attempting to teach children. But because of seniority, it was almost impossible to fire them.  The answer was usually to move the problem to another school and let someone else deal with it. On the other hand, in my current position I see teachers have more and more requirements piled on top of them with no additional comprensation and no way to say no.  There needs to be some common ground found between the two extremes, but finding it may be a difficult task.

I know that, a number of people who have gone into teaching after working in the private system, and almost uniformly, what I don't hear from them is the common, tired, poor-me, overworked-and-underpaid rhetoric that you hear from teachers who have never worked outside of the system. Sure they have complaints (who doesn't gripe about his job?), but they recognize the gravy train of benefits and mandatory salary increases, coupled with the shortened hours per day/days per year.

I think the teachers union and its die-hard members could take a lesson here: That argument is falling on deaf ears when people with far better academic performance and far more education are getting laid off or taking salary hits while getting saddled with increased work, often without any health benefits at all.

The unions are the problem, not the solution

The teacher unions vary in their functions from district to district and country to country, they can't be categorically lumped together. If the top district and countries have unions, then we should be asking "How do those unions positively affect student learning?" Then emulate them according to local parameters. This is a more logical approach to the problem instead the standard "Get rid of unions or unions are great", but there's a good chance we might learn something in the process. Learning needs to take place to grow change and solve problems.

Critics says that unions raise the costs of education; make it more difficult for principals to remove ineffective teachers; and lead to more conflicted relationships among teachers, principals, and district administrators. Proponents observe that unions have improved compensation and security for teachers, led to more formal school structures, and secured smaller class sizes and more instructional preparation time