Nagpur: Students are well-versed in their right to freedom of speech but can’t say for sure whether they are completely aware of their fundamental and societal duties, said Nagpur University vice-chancellor Manali Kshirsagar on Saturday. She also cautioned against repeatedly granting students additional opportunities after academic failure.She was speaking at a Teachers’ Day event organised at the university on Saturday.Kshirsagar said the role of teachers has changed significantly with the rise of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). While the objective of education remains the same, teaching methods need to evolve with changing times, she said. “We have made it easy for kids with question banks, answer booklets and other resources. AI too has a lot of scope for creativity,” she said.The VC also cautioned against repeatedly granting students additional opportunities after academic failure. She said protests demanding another chance had become common in some cases and questioned whether students were genuinely benefiting from such concessions. She added that students no longer necessarily need teachers merely for content, as information is readily available online. “Instead, teachers must act as facilitators,” she said.She also urged parents to remain actively engaged with their children’s lives while giving them adequate space and independence.Administrative Judge of Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench, Justice Anil Kilor, said teachers must go beyond teaching the syllabus and become “gurus” who impart lessons about life.Speaking about AI, Kilor said teachers have an important role in helping students distinguish facts from misinformation. He recalled seeing law students use their phones during one of his lectures, only to realise they were verifying the legal points he was making. He also cited instances of lawyers using AI to draft petitions containing references to non-existent judgments.Kilor also stressed the responsibility of educators in preparing students for life beyond classrooms. Recalling his teachers, Kilor said the lessons they taught went far beyond textbooks and shaped who he became. “One who teaches as per syllabus is a shikshak, but one who teaches about life is a guru. One is just doing a job and the other is working for society,” he said.
