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GUEST EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2007 | Volume
: 25
| Issue : 1 | Page : 4 |
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Guest Editorial
Anil Kohli
Honorary Brigadier President, Dental Council Of India, India
Correspondence Address:
Anil Kohli
Honorary Brigadier President, Dental Council Of India
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0970-4388.31979
How to cite this article:
Kohli A. Guest Editorial. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2007;25:4 |
Dear Colleagues,
As the President of the Dental Council of India, I would like to use this forum to address the burning issue of dental education in the country. The dwindling educational standards in the institutions and lack of quality education have made the Dental Council take a fresh perspective of the overall scenario. In India, the teaching faculty gets promoted to Reader, Professor or Principal just by virtue of the number of years they have been associated with a recognized college. The promotions are not based on the qualitative contributions of the faculty. The true essence of teaching and the spirit which used to guide a teacher to ensure that the students achieve higher goals is lacking or generally absent. I knew excellent teachers when I was a student and it was with great reverence and pride that one associated himself with his teacher. The teaching faculty over time has lost that respect mainly due to the lack of interest and stereotype lecturing resulting in a poor teacher-student relationship.
We have to work towards dual missions; to excel in education, research and service and to foster creativity, innovation and enterprise amongst the students. We need transformation from a teaching to a learning environment, where active student-teacher interaction is seen as a cornerstone of the learning process. In this competitive era, an institution needs to measure its educational and research programs by benchmarking itself against other leading institutions. College education must nurture certain essential qualities that will give graduates an edge in this fast-changing global economy. I believe education must nurture qualities like an inquisitive mind, mental agility, intellectual endurance and enterprising spirit. Knowledge has become a critical global commodity. Hence, universities need to work together to enhance their students' education for the global economy.
The Dental Council is adopting measures to institute compulsory CDE for the teachers and monitor teaching standards being practiced in the Institutions. Further, we are including additional parameters like the professional standing and accomplishments of the teacher before recognizing him for higher posts. The global landscape of Dental Education has changed significantly over the past decade. The impacts of rapidly changing political orientation, socio-economic demands, technological advances, as well as change in oral health scenario have necessitated these changes in the field of Dental Education.
I hope my thought process will elicit a suitable response from the profession and I look forward to a meaningful association with the members of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry.
Jai Hind
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