World Teachers' Day: For the love of education

For some, love for teaching stems from their fondness of interacting with students and like-minded teachers, not money

World Teachers' Day has been held annually on October 5 since 1974 to pay ode to teachers like Haji Amir Muhammad who has been dedicated to his profession for the past 40 years now.

Muhammad started his career in 1972 as a government teacher and has since taught at schools in different areas like Quetta, Kohlu and Pishin. He continued to serve the field of education even after he retired in 2006, stating that he believed retirement should not be synonymous to redundancy.

“I have never taken a day off for no reason, not even casual leaves,” says Muhammad.

He currently teaches disciplines like Urdu, Science, English and Pakistan Studies at the secondary section of Government Model High School, Pishin.

Mohammed, who is a resident of Quetta, travels 55 kilometres by bus everyday to the school in Pishin and pays the transport cost out of his own pocket. His colleagues claim that teachers like Muhammad are hard to find and also recognise his commitment.

Monetary compensation for government schoolteachers in Pakistan is marginal, but Muhammad claims that his love for teaching stems from his fondness of interacting with students and like-minded teachers, not money.