The essence of teaching

These words aptly and succinctly capture the essence of teaching. If God is love, then teaching is perhaps the only profession that can claim to be a divinely inspired profession, because teaching is love. Essentially, teaching was synonymous with love. If, for some reason, a teacher did not love his or her country enough due to disaffection with the government of the day, the expectation was that at least the love for the children and the job would prevail.

It was unheard of or very rare for the teachers to punish their students on account of the government’s actions or omissions. This does not mean a justified strike action could not be embarked upon. It simply meant strike actions were the very last resort when all else had failed. The reason is simple. The students assumed centre stage whenever decisions were made.