MEDIA ------THE TRUE TEACHER IN THE SOCIETY

Rajendra k.padhi Lecturer in English Womens college. Bargarh

There is a great responsibility on the shoulders of the new generation of media people to nourish libertarianism and education on the principles of equality and human freedom keeping an eye to our social system which is undergoing radical changes. Media can help the social melieu to discover the powers to recreate a civilization of wisdom, order, justice and equality when moral degeneration, divisions and disintegration have brought devastating consequences in our national life. The media is the harbinger of a techno-savvy age to think global with all strategy for the changing scenario of the world. The greater avenues of the multifarious and multiple streams of knowledge needed for people have already been expanded by the media to keep us ready for boosting our knowledge by a vast system , greater opportunities keep waiting for us. If media people are really eager to find true education and live by it, our life will be eventually the means of rooting out evils from the world as we begin to realize that we are to contribute fruits and flowers to the world tree. It is glibly to say that in the 21st century the Media as well as people connected with it have taken the true role of a teacher in the society even without going to class rooms , without being salaried but have a direct and indirect role of making people truly educated to rule themselves effectively in a democratic nation. In Indian context people are educated to a certain extent in a formal curriculum which has only a physical boundary to use it for either making money or using it as a weapon of mass destruction. The delinquent teachers and learners are burning the society by their unhealthy approach to social responsibilities. The educational institutions are Man-making industry but are now converted into Money-making industry. The leakage of questions and selling of it through teacher- agencies leading to their arrest and imprisonment, the most spine chilling news about the arrest of four persons including an Assistant teacher on charges of sexually exploiting the female inmates of an orphanage at Rourkela and engaging them in immoral activities, arbitrary evaluation is frightening and stress- causing for which lot of suicide cases have been in the news, the examinations are repeated and delayed which disappoints and remains largely elusive for the career and future of the students causing stress and fear in their minds, many children have recently died because of the breaking down of the walls of the schools, many more are hospitalized for the rotten food served in the mid-day meals, they are ill- behaved and tortured, beaten and molested which have aroused great disappointment and frustration to the enlightened mass. The society is now psceptical about the moral and ethical fairness in the educational institutions and the media has become an implied mandatory requirement to protect society against arbitrary action and behavior of the teachers. The unwanted growth of coaching

centers running illegally as unregistered, the running of the students to educational institutions then to the coaching centers for the same topics taught to them in schools and colleges speaks of a poor quality teaching and delinquent teachers as such the government spends crores of rupees on such unproductive people. The same teachers serving under the government are teaching in the coaching centers speak of a dumb and deaf show though intellectual agencies are present everywhere these days. The government is giving permission for opening up educational institutions by private bodies who ever could invest in both fair and foul means and later on regularizing it without making an assessment of their knowledge, proficiency and creativity. This is contrary to the spirit of education; teaching is the profession of all professions concerned with the moral developments in social life. It is really awful to find educational institutions as the slaughter-house.In simple words educational institutions in its ineffective modes have resulted in anarchic and corrupt situations in the nation and its caretakers being corrupt are shameless watchdogs who are using their perverted educational upbringing in making money at the cost of their professional dignity as a teacher. The educators and pupils have failed to develop coordination between life and the curriculum they read for so many years. The Mass Media caters to the genuine need of the day affecting all the areas of life, enabling the social melieu to distinguish the relevant and irrelevant information, separating the realities and fictions and forming opinions to determine the need of true literacy as the need of the time in the life of a nation. Participation of people in the social issues serves the basic purpose of education. People immediately find a linking to their problems and solutions at their finger tips. Since the media touches and covers up most of the issues of life both creative and illustrative people share knowledge and educate them. They are able to analyze critically the information they get from media for more awareness campaign on different issues. Social Medias have the immense power to influence people to voice against all wrongs in society. So, the media persons have the primary role of a teacher to give voices to people to fight for their right. We are living in such a hard time that nobody listens to you against the wrongs till media raises the voice. Media people come in direct contact with the people and situations. They are the true evaluators of social life. They are one among the people , they make people to listen to them , they are also the true judge as they dont mislead the people by going against their ethics . The true objectives of education to give information and communications are achieved by them. They can bring awareness among people through social programming in the matter of health, poverty, politics and many more such issues in which the life of the people is directly and essentially connected with. Media also educates the rights of the people and protects them. The media persons are not only to publish news but manage social programs in the matter of environmental hazards, waste management and all other issues that create immoral and unhygienic conditions in the society. So, the media persons should be great scholars to educate the people about their rights and privileges. They should possess knowledge in every dimension of social life, without their wisdom perhaps democracy would breathe its last.

Education is not enough without media , our curriculum should be updated with media literacy , news and its analysis to initiate critical thinking on social issues , participation of the students on media reporting to present their views can help in developing a patriotic mindset to protect our democracy marching towards the graveyard. The massive media coverage in news papers, magazines, internet, television and so many have created greater trust to people in educating them through discussions , interviews, debates , messages, opinions and views. The definition of a journalist as found in the oxford dictionary as a person who writes for news papers or magazines or prepares news or features to be broadcast on radio or television cant uphold as they are elevated to be the true educators of people and protectors of democracy. Moreover the book The Literary Journalists by Norman Sims marked a revolution to merge literature and journalism and developed a new genre of fiction writing. John Mcphee Susan Orlean, Tracy Kidder and so many other journalists have received world fame for their investigative journalism and writing fictions. These are experimentation on the facts of human life and receive worldwide acclamation for presenting the indispensible ways and means to fight back problems of human life. Alas! March 13, 2013, a sad day when a journalist called Dinesh Choudhury and his family was attacked with acid in the state of Maharashtra. So many journalists are killed for their truthfulness, Sushi Pathak of Dainik Bhaskar was shot dead in 2010 and several more are either killed or harassed. A true journalist is the true guardian of the society, he is fearless in war, in flood, in all the fearful situations of life and he does not care for his life. Kathleen Blake was first female war journalist from US to go to Cuba during the Spanish-American war, Marie Colvin was killed during the civil war in Syria, journalists were not afraid of the devastating Thailand floods, Tsunami , Afghanistan war and participated in many such dangerous situations without caring their life. Hardly any country of the world is facing a dark hour like India when the politicians are no more fair and square, bureaucrats are corrupt, the integrity of judiciary and defence is doubtful, teachers are malevolent, murders and rape have brought shame. When Money is brighter than Sunshine and sweeter than Honey for teachers, for saints and politicians, for bureaucrats and employees, for juries and people of defence the Nations golden heritage and its nobility is at stake. The sun of our life is growing dim, our mind and brain is under tiring attack of despair, we are moving towards a stony darkness of immorality and shamelessness. In spite of the degeneration we have under gone in moral life, the roads to more freedom of mind and body can only be achieved if the media remains alert, honest not only to inform but to educate people as a true teacher of the society. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to its own flame .