A teacher is also a friend and philosopher- this might be an old adage, but should teachers be like that, then today's students would be much better human beings. Such teachers are rare, in Jadavpur as well. The faculty-student relationship as it exists in Jadavpur can be praised, as well as criticised. 

The first thing a newcomer notices that the faculty is very down to earth. The awe, if not aura, that surrounds the faculty of certain institutions is sorely missing. And it is my guess that this is a consciously generated perception. The faculty is very friendly, very approachable. They are more or less equal members of the department, as are the students. The head of the department does not have any extra credibility or prestige- he or she (they are changed every two years) is just another faculty member with extra administrative responsibilities. They wear very normal dresses, and their bearing is also very normal, so much so that it becomes very difficult at times to decide who is a faculty member and who is not- a very dangerous proposition given that both faculty and students frequent the same canteens and other places. This phenomenon induces a feeling of equality and togetherness, so that there is a sense of shared pride.

Students from other institutions might be surprised at how much the faculty is respected by the students. I have been to another college, and I can tell that the faculty in that college is hardly given the sort of respect which the faculty here receives. Even in schools the teachers are not respected- at least, not all. There are many genuine reasons for this. For one all the faculty members are very knowledgeable, and you genuinely respect on who can answer all your questions. For instance, in the English department, perhaps all the faculty members are PhD, and most of them have returned from prestigious foreign universities (read Oxford and Cambridge). Many of them have written or edited books. Most of them frequently visit foreign universities as Visiting Professors. And some of them are very famous in their field of specialisation. Very few institutions can boast of such credentials. And hence the pride and respect.

Secondly, the faculty is very understanding and considerate. They are very friendly. There is much direct interaction which bring them closer to students. Naturally you are fond of them. For instance many of the faculty are the darling of the students.

Yet, even in spite of such good qualities so rarely found elsewhere, the student is sometimes outraged. The faculty take it for granted that all students are brilliant, all of them are well and widely read, and are conversant with whatever they are teaching. They take it for granted that studying English is the only job of the student. For instance, on the third day at college during my UG course, the first time we met a professor, he said - "I don't know what the level of your competence is, but here you are expected to read and understand Shakespeare by yourself". I wondered, if we are expected to do all that by ourselves, what is the government paying you for! Such harsh words, and such steep expectations are a sure put off. Most of the students who are doing BA or MA in English in Jadavpur are doing it for the degree only- not for any special liking or attachment. A BA or MA is just a vehicle towards a good job. Naturally there is hardly any serious desire to learn literature, but rather to earn good grades. If you learn something, that's by the way. Such obtuseness of understanding is deplorable. The economic reality of the country is such that a degree from a university is just a qualification towards the attainment of a job, and nothing more. The students who are aiming to make academics their line of studies, and for whom formal studies is much more meaningful, are few, and they are mostly good at studies. The faculty should be more considerate towards the indifferent majority. The faculty forget that a large part of the student are not very well- and no extra care is taken for them. Such callousness is rarely witnessed in other places. 

This brings us to a very contentious issue. It is the attitude of total irresponsibility towards the students. Our welcome class during the UG course was composed of this speech from a very prestigious member of our faculty: "If you attend the classes, fine; if you don't better. We believe you are old enough to decide for yourself what is good or bad for you!" The problem is that at that stage we are not old enough. Students have to be coaxed to an extent to study. This onus falls on parents and teachers alike, and we have seen the latter fulfilling this duty at schools where bunking is prohibited. But in a scenario where attendance is not compulsory, where the teachers take no outward interest as to whether anyone attends his/her class or not, the laxity induces the students to keep away from classes, and which can result in bad results for many if not all. I have heard and even seen teachers hauling up unwilling students into their classrooms in other colleges, but not so in Jadavpur. The teachers are reckless. The career of students, perhaps, doesn't mean much to them.

Even then, the surprising thing remains that the students do very well in exams, especially when compared with other colleges. But the reason for this lies not so much with the faculty as with the students themselves. Jadavpur consistently draws the best students from the city, and the whole of the Bengal. The admission tests that are held for entrance to various departments are rigourous, and only the meritorious can avail themselves of a seat. Even though there is heavy reservation, in accordance with government policies, the quality of the average student sees no deterioration. The students study by themselves. If the student has enough and good materials for study, he/she can easily pass the exams. This intensive self-study culture is something that comes automatically to every Jadavpur student. Invariably it is found that the better results are seen with students who are rather irregular at class. Apparently this might seem to go against my thesis that faculty callousness results in poor results, but my argument would be - don't look at the cream. Look at the average student. Many students find it rather difficult to traverse the whole distance all by himself/herself. In absence of proper guidance, the student is lost. And the outcome is poor result. The meritorious can look after himself/herself, but not everyone is one. For more details on the faculty, and the teaching procedure, please see The faculty at Jadavpur- the shortcomings. (Always remember that these comments are strictly personal, and they are mainly based on personal experiences in the English Department, and hence, may not be in general).