On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Vice-President, M Venkaiah Naidu, and Human Resources Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar, felicitated 45 teachers from across the country with the National Award (2017) for their contribution in improving the quality of school education.Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday made a strong pitch for imparting school education in mother tongue throughout the country. He also said history books should have chapters on local personalities and eminent Indians who have made the country proud through their deeds.
Lauding the teachers who received accolades at the event, Naidu said “It is because of teachers like you that our system of education is moving steadily towards greater heights of excellence. The government has not only recognised you as individuals but has also showcased what can be actually achieved with competence, commitment, and collaboration. The countries of the world had recognised India as a world teacher or Vishwa Guru. In many ways, this stream of intellectual pursuits and knowledge creation has continued over the last two millennia.”
While technology has made rapid inroads into the education sector, he said it cannot replace the teacher who only can mould the students into good citizens. He said children who see Google should also apply their mind, adding “Google can never replace guru”.
“I would like to advice the government, not only the central government but the state government as well that eduction must basically be in the mother tongue” he said.
Naidu, however, made it clear that he was not against English medium schools while he sought to dispel the impression that only students passing out from these schools can succeed in life.
He gave examples of himself, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some chief ministers who rose from humble background to occupy constitutional posts.
Talking about historical figures and social reformers such as Mahatma Phule, Narayana Guru, M Visvesvaraya and Kabir, the Vice President said history lessons should focus on them and not British rulers who “looted” the nation and “our mind”. He also slammed those opposing the inclusion of local history in textbooks.
Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javedkar listed various initiatives launched by his ministry under the ambitious ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ to impart quality education. The initiatives include upgradation of Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas from class VIII to class XII and giving annual grants to 15 lakh government schools for library and sports facilities. The selection of the teachers for the national awards was conducted under a revised guideline this year, says a statement. The number of awardees was brought down to just 45 from about 300 awardees.
Majority of the teachers awarded today used IT application in making learning interesting for students, it said, adding some of them even developed learning-based apps. The nominated teachers had given a presentation last month before an independent jury comprising a senior educationist.