Young University Teachers
Sheikh Iraj
Every child has a hidden talent waiting to be discovered and theres always a teacher to help him or her uncover it. A teacher is a silent hero behind every childs success. From winning a competition to graduating from an institution, teachers are always there to guide their pupils through academic stress and barriers. A teacher finds happiness through the students success. No matter how old the student gets and no matter how successful, the student will always be special in the teachers heart. But a teachers life is not an easy one. A teacher is responsible for not only a students academic progress, but also his/ her psychological wellbeing. This week, YI speaks to some young teachers about their work, hurdles, discipline and what inspired them to choose teaching as their profession.
Md Imran Khan
Senior Lecturer, English, Stamford University Bangladesh
In every sector, there is some issue to deal with, and the education sector is not so different. From the academic perspective, there is scarcity of professional development for teachers in terms of tertiary level training, research funding, access to research materials, and so on. In motivational outlook, most of the private universities, except a few, have not responded to revising salaries, to keep in line with the governments initiative regarding the new pay scale. The hardest part for me is dealing with large classes, fused with mix-abilities students. Some students find it hard to absorb the subject knowledge within the trimester format. The result sometimes goes another way, for example, a student may get a graduate grade, but practically, the student does not have the confidence to deliver. Personally, I try to give as much counselling as I can manage. To me, only achieving the grade at the undergrad level is not enough for the future professional life. From an early age, I had this dream of becoming a teacher, I am good with kids and during my college days, I used to give tuition to students. Of course, many of my teachers were the source of my inspiration as well.
Mamun Ur Rashid
Assistant Professor, Business Administration, Manarat International University
I enjoy my work to the fullest and I have never faced any hurdle at my workplace. I have been working smoothly with the cooperation of my colleagues and the students. I was a gold medalist student, and so I thought teaching would be the perfect job for me because it is a noble profession. Though there is an absence of bureaucratic power in this profession, there is much honour and dignity in teaching. I want to distribute the light of knowledge and being able to do so, makes me happy and satisfied with my work.
Ashrafur Rashid
Assistant Professor, Business Administration, Bangladesh Islamic University
I like working as a teacher from the depth of my heart. I have always loved teaching as a profession. It is the profession that can create hundreds of more professionals. So instead of being a banker or service holder, I chose to create hundreds of bankers and service holders. I feel proud when I find out my students have secured a good career. I feel proud that I can contribute in developing someones career. Also, teaching is that profession where there is not much bossing. University-level teaching particularly ensures an employees empowerment. That is why I have chosen teaching as my profession.
Sarfaraz Alam
Assistant Professor, Water Resources Engineering, BUET
My fascination to become a teacher emerged in the senior year of my undergraduate studies, when I realised that this is the profession where I can impart my knowledge to new members of the scientific community, and contribute to the society through solving problems. My interest in learning new things and propensity towards mathematics and physics helped me to get admission at BUET. Now, I have got the opportunity to teach here some of the best students from all over the country who are highly dedicated and talented. I am also involved in several co-curricular activities with the students. As a faculty member, the immense pleasure of acquiring and sharing knowledge has inspired me to advance myself to the next stage. On the organisational side, I have been an active member of various groups where I have contributed my engineering knowledge, as well as acted as a coordinator among the group members. One of our most successful achievements is establishing an online forum for young water scientists and engineers, named WRE Forum.
Arzoo Ismail
Faculty Member, School of Business, ULAB
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life_ currently, I am associated with the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and I am enjoying every minute I get to spend here as a full-time faculty member at ULAB School of Business. I am also happily serving as an assistant proctor and advisor of ULAB Nutrition and Wellness Club. On the basis of my experience as a teacher and researcher on the quality of education, especially at the tertiary level, I believe teachers today are exposed to a new generation of students who are highly active on social media and equipped with gadgets, which were probably only seen in science fiction movies by the previous generation. Hence, keeping their attention in the classroom does pose a challenge from time to time. In this era of the fourth industrial revolution, students have very different emotional intelligence, and that is why it is of utmost importance for the teachers to rethink about the pedagogical methods to make the teaching and learning experience more effective. I find my profession self-rewarding, especially when I see my students getting jobs or going abroad for higher studies. When I had started to draw a career plan in my mind, I wanted to be engaged with a work which would have a direct impact on peoples lives. While being an instructor for Bangla poetry recitation at Kanchi Kanchar Mela during my college days, I figured my strength was to share and spread knowledge _ I believe that experience intrigued me to explore the world of teaching.
Md Ferdous Alam
Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science Technology
Teaching is my passion. As you know, the salary scale of the teaching profession is not that much high and other facilities are not like corporate houses, even then, I have chosen teaching as my profession. I believe, if anyone dreams of their passion, they achieve that. But day by day, it is getting much competitive, so struggle is a must. And except few private universities, which are doing business rather than providing quality education, most private and public universities are performing very well. But again, we need to focus on the continuous development of the education system.
Md Mamunur Rashid
Lecturer, BRAC Institute of Languages
From my childhood, the only thing I ever wanted to be is someone influential, without knowing how. Throughout my school life, I looked out for that eureka moment which would lead me to be someone who actually matters. Finally, I got that lead when I was doing my graduation. Seeing my teachers, how they taught, how they cared for us and how their teaching influenced our lives, I was quite convinced that only a teacher could be idolised and followed. I have grown a sense of belonging here and acquired a broad view of teaching and learning, thanks to my institution. Moreover, I have also confirmed a belief that the dynamics of university education cannot be addressed if it remains confined only inside the classroom. For me, at university, the actual class happens outside the classroom walls. My responsibility as an advisor of BRAC University Film Club has allowed me to be more involved with my students and inspire them, the same way I was inspired in my student life. I believe, and ask others to believe, that there is no treasure map to success unless we create one of our own. So, we should keep a keen eye _ the eye of the tiger _ on what we want and strive towards it, enjoying the thrill of seeking, and definitely, not lose the grip.
Khwaja Saifur Rahman
Economics, IUB
To be honest, I never thought I would ever take up teaching as a profession. While doing my masters at UCL (University College London) I remember taking a class by Professor Richard Blundell, who was a very successful businessman. At the end of the semester, I asked him why he chose to teach and he replied: You will know when you do it yourself. After coming back to Bangladesh, while I was planning on a few startups, I had some idle time on my hands and hence, I decided to join Independent University, Bangladesh. It is while teaching here that I realised what Professor Blundell actually meant _ there is something oddly satisfying and fulfilling about nourishing others minds and lives. Its there when the look of recognition comes across a students face and the excitement when they learn something new _ theres no feeling like that in the world! To be able to work with the young generation, who are the future, and to be able to have the power to guide, motivate and mold them into better individuals are reasons why I am still teaching today _ and loving every bit of it.
Meem Noshin Nawal Khan and Tashfiq Bin Maksud contributed to this article.
Photos: Courtesy
