Nondito Shikshak: How a teacher should be

We live in a time when newspapers are often flooded with negative news about teachers and students. To substantiate my point, I did a quick Google search with the phrase "teacher student news."

The top result was from a reputed English daily, with the headline "Teacher Shot Student at Sirajganj Medical College," followed by "JnU Student's Suicide, Teacher Sued" from other leading English dailies.

Google prioritised Bangladeshi newspapers based on my geographical location and other algorithmic factors. However, my initial statement was further validated when I found similar stories from leading global news outlets (ToI, Fox, BBC, CBS, Independent and so on), leaving me even more disheartened and making it clear that these issues are not unique to Bangladesh or South Asia, but are prevalent worldwide.

In this sea of negative news, I would love to offer some relief to this review readers by introducing a veteran school teacher from Krishnar Dangi High School in Faridpur. This teacher has set a new standard for the next generation with his multifaceted positive attributes and excellent relationship with his students. His name is Emeritus Shikshak (teacher) MA Sattar Mandal. I understand that you might find the collocation unusual, so allow me to enlighten you more about him before discussing the book I intended to review.

Yes, we have an Emeritus Teacher in our country who, after retiring as a professor from a renowned public university, joined as a school teacher with his childhood friend Shukumar Chandra Saha, a former head teacher of the same school mentioned earlier. It is undoubtedly rare that the former Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), a former post-doctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, and a prominent agricultural economist could be a part-time school teacher in a remote village.

Are you surprised? You will be even more surprised once you learn more about him through the eyes of his disciples in the book "Nondito Shikshak." Professor Mandal is currently serving as a Professorial Fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). He was a member of the Planning Commission and was awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak in 2022 for his outstanding contribution to research.

The book is a collection of reminiscences from his students — ranging from academicians to bureaucrats to members of parliament — whom he has taught over the past 52 years. The write-ups by his students are so intriguing that anyone who starts reading this book will find it nearly impossible to put down before finishing it. 

"When Professor Mandal sent me the book to read and write a review, I was returning from Malaysia to Bangladesh. Surprisingly, I finished reading 120 pages of the book in a single sitting on the plane," reflected another Emeritus Professor, Atiur Rahman, former Governor of Bangladesh Bank, at the launching ceremony of the book and Professor Mandal's 75th birthday celebration held recently.

With more than 50 write-ups from students established in different sectors at home and abroad, the book opens with an essay from Sattar Mandal himself titled "Shikshaker Tin Rup" (Three Forms of a Teacher). As a reader of this book, I believe this thoughtful essay based on Professor Mandal's extensive experience is a must-read for teachers at all levels. 

It is really tough to summarise the article in two or three lines. To be more precise, according to Mandal, a teacher is a lamp of wisdom, a skilled manager, and an impartial judge who must be an orator with the capability of choosing proper diction. He must possess a good sense of humour, and be updated, ethical, unbiased, disciplined, and hardworking. He must understand the psychology of the students he/she is lecturing. The essay uses witty and famous quotes from Einstein to Rabindranath to William Arthur Ward, along with many personal experiences.

As Professor Mandal is a prominent economist and was involved in policy-making, many students in their reminiscences shared their experiences of research work with him, describing how kind and unparalleled he was as a guide compared to the regular thesis or PhD supervisors in our universities. 

A professor from Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) noted in his write-up titled "In Contact with a Generous Teacher" that when he helped his teacher in writing a draft for a chapter in a research report on crop diversification, Professor Mandal gave him first authorship. When asked, Mandal replied, "It's all the same for me to be the first or second author, but the first authorship will help you in the future." While we are filled with news of plagiarism and politics of authorship, this example is truly inspiring.

Sattar Mandal is not a researcher who writes reports or does research sitting in an air-conditioned room; he visits and has visited remote and haor areas of the country for his research works with his students and field officers — even at the age of 75 — as highlighted in several essays in the book.

Among the numerous instances of his kindness, I just want to mention one from his student, Abdul Hye, who has retired as a high-profile bureaucrat. Professor Mandal sent Hye to collect data from Madaripur during a severe flood in the district. The research officers required boats to collect data and couldn't go out all the time due to continuous downpouring. In such a circumstance, Sattar Mandal reached there from Mymensingh with an interview card for Mr Hye from a renowned research council. This example tells the readers how responsible and kind a teacher can be to his disciple.

A number of students repeatedly mentioned in their reminiscences how Professor Mandal conducted classes with pin-drop silence; how he acted as a father to several students, helping them build successful careers; how his accent, pronunciation, and choice of words captivated students in the class; how disciplined he was in checking answer sheets and publishing results on time; how he dressed; and the list goes on. I believe all these pieces will help reshape our ideas of a teacher and provide our teachers with ways to be kind, judicious, and parent-like. 

The writer is Publication Officer at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).