India, Feb. 11 -- The question of whether a teacher's underperformance affects students more than teachers themselves is a complex one. While it may seem that underperforming teachers primarily bear the consequences of their shortcomings such as poor evaluations, job insecurity, and professional stagnation there is significant evidence to suggest that their underperformance also has a profound and lasting impact on students. However, the extent of this impact depends on multiple factors, including the school environment, student resilience and administrative interventions.

While effective teaching is undoubtedly beneficial, some argue that teacher underperformance has minimal impact on students due to various compensatory factors such as...