Education helps in liberating a person from narrow world view and the boundaries of caste, community, race and gender. Entrusting the teachers with the responsibility of moulding the young minds to understand the world, teachers in schools, colleges and universities need to define to themselves what effort can make their performance meaningful to achieve this aim. This is a high time for introspection.
While conferring the National Award 2014 to teachers on 5th September, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “Education empowers and enables a nation. A sound education system is the bedrock of an enlightened society. To build India of our dreams, the foremost task before us is to improve the quality of education infusing modern technologies and addressing the concerns of equality.”
Welcoming the move of the President of India, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said, “The government was able to achieve the 100 per cent target of completing the construction of separate toilet for boys and girls in schools under Swachch Vidyalaya Abhiyan within one year of the announcement made by Prime Minister Narerndra Modi to this effect on Independence Day last year. The minister said that we have provided physical infrastructure but it is teacher who instill and inculcate the importance of cleanliness among children in their lives.
She further added that the Kala Utsav would be celebrated each year showcasing every State’s culture and tradition which would be theme based. The theme of Kala Utsav this year would be ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.’ While mentioning about the flagship scheme Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat, she expressed her views on the declining standards of mathematics and science for classes VI to VIII and exhorted the teachers to help children in basic understanding and comprehension of these subjects. She also made an appeal to the Ministry of HRD to collect best practices in teaching along with identifying best teachers from across the country and disseminate the same for the benefit for one and all.
Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha while welcoming the President of India and other dignitaries present at the function said that to impart quality education to the countrymen and bring about reforms in the education is the primary task of the Ministry of HRD. He added that the teachers are expected to pay special attention to students coming from economically backward section of society.
Minister of State for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria said that the actual wealth of the nation is not in the Banks but in the schools in the form of students. They are the human resource available in the country who are an asset to the nation. The teachers are the depository of this wealth. India’s stature will be measured by the achievement of its students and the responsibility of attaining that rests on the teachers.
The Award to Teachers carries a Silver Medal, Certificate and Rs 50,000 as award money. 338 teachers were awarded the National Award 2014. These awards were instituted in 1958. From mid sixties onwards, 5th of September has come to be the date of investiture to accord public recognition to meritorious teachers working in elementary and secondary schools.
