On teaching

It is pathetic to note that those who take up teaching do so to escape unemployment, resulting in mediocrity in the educational system (OpEd page, February 21). That apart, the modern Ekalavya does not need to depend on a teacher or the ‘chalk-and-talk’ method; Google is the guru and Skype has started replacing ‘dreary’ classroom learning. In this digital mayhem, passion towards teaching is rare. It is ironic that educational institutions are run by the rich who have political backing. ‘Teaching is a service and not a transaction’, is what the writer feels, but are there such teachers today?

E.S. Chandrasekaran,

Chennai