President Pranab Muhkerjee on Saturday said that the country needs inspired teachers to instill in children the civilisational values of tolerance, plurality and compassion and impart education that removes boundaries of caste, community and gender.
Citing renowned ancient seats of learning like Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramashila, the President asked educational institutes to regain their leadership position by attracting talent to the academic profession. “I believe that more than ever, today we need inspired teachers to instill in our children the civilisational values of sacrifice, tolerance, plurality, understanding and compassion.
“I would define an inspired teacher as a value-oriented, mission-driven, self-motivated and result-oriented individual,” Mukherjee said, while giving national award to over 300 teachers for 2014 at a function organised by HRD Ministry.
“Through words, actions and deeds, they inspire the students and elevate them to a higher level of performance and thinking. Responsibility of producing aware, conscious and intellectual citizens who build the future of our nation lies with the teachers,” the President said.
He said in the fast changing world of today where new ideas, values and concepts are rapidly replacing the old ones, the importance of quality of education for any student has further increased. He said teachers need to get themselves a new orientation and evolve methodologies to create relevant and effective approaches to teaching and learning.
Mukherjee also said there is a need to continuously renew their capabilities through research, experimentation and innovation to achieve excellence. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is another area where teachers have to keep pace with rapidly changing technologies, he said.
The President congratulated teachers who received national awards. A total of 338 teachers from across the country received the honour which carries a silver medal, certificate and Rs 50,000 as award money. HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Ministers of State for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria and Upendra Kushwaha, among others were present during the function.