Primary school teacher Ishtiaq Ahmad Yousafzai has no regrets about his choice of career. STOCK IMAGE
“Teaching is a more respectable job than any high-ranking office,” the 43-year-old teacher of Class V at Government Primary School No.4 Gulbahar in Peshawar tells The Express Tribune over the telephone.
Yousafzai, who hails from Mardan, has served the profession for the past 18 years. During this career, he has worked at four government schools.
Building blocks
Over the years, the 43-year-old has remained committed to carve a bright future for his students.
“I believe you can only succeed in your profession if you truly enjoy it,” he says.
According to Yousafzai, it is important to teach students through innovative and engaging methods.
“A few years ago, I collected donations from my friends and had a classroom painted and furnished with study material for students,” he recalls. “I was teaching at a primary school in Police Colony at that time. Looking back, the experiment produced some positive results. Children learn best with the help of practical application rather than rote learning. That’s why I insist on arranging puzzles, games and other activities for them in the classroom.”
No regrets
Yousafzai has no regrets about his choice of career and finds enormous satisfaction seeing his students excel.
The 43-year-old says one of the most memorable moments of his career was when one of his students came third in an IQ contest organised by an international school.
“My student was among the 1,200 students who participated from K-P and managed to do quite well,” he explains, though not without pride.
After school, Yousafzai runs a business that has been largely successful. “However, this success is a reward from God for all the time and effort I’ve put into teaching.”
A question of responsibility
Yousafzai believes teachers have an important role to play in the lives of their students at a time when the country is facing a diverse menu of challenges.
“Being a teacher puts you in a position to directly influence young minds,” he says. “As a result, I do whatever I can to instil in my students the importance of being good human beings.”
According to the primary teacher, the biggest challenge of teaching students who are enrolled at government schools is that a majority of the parents do not pay enough attention to their children’s education.
“Students of private schools succeed because their parents keep an eye on them,” he explains. “Students have no such luxury. They lag behind not because they are unintelligent but because they do not have enough resources at home and school.”
Yousafzai believes teaching is a noble profession.
“I would encourage my own children to enter this field rather than join the police or the armed forces,” he says. “It is respectable and gives you the opportunity to serve your country and create a better future for it.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2015.
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