Teachers like Loganathan are rare

It is fascinating to recall Loganathan8217;s story because, in a sense, it encapsulates those of many other Indians who left mother country to teach in foreign climes. Loganathan himself born into a middle class family. His father was a district administrative staff, who had struggled to cope with the expenses of educating his three sons. Loganathan8217;s ascent from his native Karattadipalayam in Tamil Nadu to Virginia, was no mean achievement. He had displayed an eagerness to teach even as a school student. An IIT Kanpur alumni, he not only embodied diligence, but showed genuine passion for teaching. The prestigious teaching awards which he got at Virginia Tech, were proof of this dedication.

South India, which once constituted a large part of the old Madras Presidency, had a deep-rooted tradition of teaching and has seen great teachers like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and formidable educationists like the Mudaliar brothers and Chettiars. Loganathan8217;s love for teaching was therefore not surprising given his south Indian background. The Madras Presidency not only churned out outstanding teachers but took several path-breaking steps to put in place a remarkable education structure. The ancient 8216;gurukula8217; system, propagated by Adi Sankara and his missionaries had a powerful influence on the system. The famous Kalakshetra, or 8216;Temple of Art8217; in Chennai, which teaches Bharata Natyam, and also runs educational institutions in its premises, is a surviving example of the ancient gurukulam system.

Missionary zeal in education also played a vital role in inspiring students to turn to teaching. President Abdul Kalam is one example. Last year, during a three-day tour of Tamil Nadu, Dr Kalam made an unscheduled stopover at St Joseph8217;s College, Tiruchy, where he had once studied, because he wanted to meet Rev Fr Ladislaus Chinnadurai, who had taught him Physics and Thermodynamics. He had remarked then that 8216;an individual8217;s success depended on teachers who loved teaching and who became role models.8217;

Kalam, in a letter to the son of Professor S. Suryanarayana Iyer 1903-1973, an eminent professor of Mathematics at St Joseph8217;s College, wrote: 8220;As a young science student, I had the opportunity at St Joseph8217;s College to witness a unique scene of divine looking personalities walking through the college campus every morning, and teaching mathematics8230;Students looked at these personalities with awe and respect. When they walked, knowledge radiated all around.8221;

But Kalam and Loganathan represent a dying breed. While India can take pride in the fact that many of its IITians are placed in important academic posts in top universities abroad, the IT boom is changing all that. The starting salary index for those opting for teaching and an IT professional is 1: 3 it is 1: 1.2 abroad. Moreover, an IT professional has a head start since those opting for teaching spend a good five to six years more as academicians doing their post-graduation and doctoral studies.

Incidentally, there8217;s another worrying trend of late. Last year, of the 1,100 students, who cleared the IIT-JEE joint entrance examination in south India last year, only about 130 were from Tamil Nadu, with at least about 800 from Andhra Pradesh, thanks to its strong network of coaching centres and tutorials.

While many blame the politicisation of higher education by the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu for this, the teaching profession, admittedly, has lost its sheen. As one dedicated IIT professor put it, the almost 8216;vulgar8217; salary packages offered for the new age profession has driven out the lure of teaching.

In the last five years, IIT Madras was able to draw 190 PhD students into teaching. But, of this, only 130 have actually started teaching. While the sanctioned strength of faculty members is 450, the IIT-M has only 360 teachers on its rolls. That in itself is a commentary on why Loganathan, and others like him, are so rare.