The teacher-student relationship has been eulogised from ancient times. NIOS celebrated Teacher's Day to honour the former President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and reminding us how mentoring should be
The Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Railways (I/C), Manoj Sinha, believes that education is an ongoing process and everyone needs a teacher at various stages of their lives. Even though multiple search engines have emerged as providers of information and facts, they cannot replace the role played by a mentor. He was speaking at the Teacher's Day celebrations at the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in Noida.
Sinha said, “NIOS is doing a great job in providing relevant and holistic education to all. The institute has to be lauded for its efforts in reaching out to the grassroots to educate the underprivileged and the economically weak, which had to drop out of schools. You have set a unique model of flexible access to quality school education and skill development. Today, the face of education is changing. With technological advancement, teaching methods also have to be adapted and it is commendable that NIOS has managed to train more than 15 lakh teachers to be updated and equipped to teach well. It is important for students to understand what they are studying and what purpose it will serve them in the larger objective of nation building.”
The celebratory event was graced by V R Mehta, the former vice chancellor of Delhi University as the guest of honour. According to Mehta, education should foster analysis and encourage students to develop their independent identities. He said, “Knowledge should not be confused with wisdom which helps to distinguish between right and wrong. The mindset has to change to allow innovations and experiments and an enquiry approach has to be encouraged among young minds.”
The NIOS chairman, C B Sharma, cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments to use satellites for long distance education and explained how NIOS has pioneered in achieving this goal. “The Swayam Prabha is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes round the clock. This allows students to choose the time of their convenience to learn whatever they are interested in. We are launching a new channel for students with hearing impairment where the courses will be taught in sign language. This is to ensure that no child is left out from the purview of knowledge.
We have reached the army bunkers with courses for the army personnel who wish to continue studying; to harness the potential of the handloom industry, we have developed courses for weavers to ensure that vocational talent is not lost.”
The event also showcased a short documentary detailing many other initiatives of the institute for the audience. NIOS also honored its various teachers for their contribution in distinctive fields on the occasion of Teacher's Day among dance performances presented by the students.