Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM meets National Awardee Teachers

My Dear fellow teachers,

I am delighted to welcome you all today. Receiving a teacher at one's home, our culture tells us, is an honour and a privilege. I am particularly delighted to be among teachers, having been one myself. In fact, I still see myself as a teacher of sorts. I have strayed into politics by accident, but I had become a teacher by choice.

I know that, today, I am among a very special group of teachers. You have been honoured by the country for your meritorious services in the field of education. The award you have been conferred is a token of the nation's appreciation of your efforts, dedication and commitment.

These traits among teachers are today of even greater value when crass commercialism and anti-social behaviour is overtaking our educational institutions.

I was deeply pained when I heard of the death of a teacher last week in Ujjain at the hands of unruly students. I am also pained by incidents of disrespectful behaviour by students and some anti-social elements who pretend to be students. I urge every parent in our country to teach their children the value of the idea of "Acharya Devo Bhava". This year, on Teachers' Day, I want every child, every student, every parent, every citizen to chant these ancient words of wisdom and pledge that we will never show disrespect to our teachers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I also urge our teaching community, both at the school level and in institutions of higher education, to uphold the best traditions of excellence and commitment to knowledge that we all expect from our teachers. I want every teacher to also take a pledge to impart knowledge to their students without fear or favour, committed to the best and highest traditions of learning. India needs good, hard-working, honest teachers, and caring teachers. In turn, we must show respect to our teachers, take good care of them, offer them a status that recognizes their contribution to society and nation-building.

Let me assure you that our Government attaches the greatest importance to education. We have steeply increased financial outlays to school education. We have expanded the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. We have placed particular emphasis on bringing out-of-school children into the classroom. We are also committed to improving the existing infrastructure of regular schools. High drop out rates and quality of education are two important areas of concern of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. I believe that local community-based monitoring of school performance is very important to ensure that increased outlays translate into better outcomes.

Interventions need to be designed to address the problems of poor student's achievement and poor classroom transaction. There is an urgent need to initiate reforms in curricula, the examination system and development of textbooks in the states at all levels of school education. There is a special focus on girls' education under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. We are also placing great emphasis on education of SC/ST communities and all minority groups.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Education is a major instrument for economic and social mobility. It is also important that we prevent alienation of youth belonging to disadvantaged groups. Our youth must have faith in their future and derive hope from our educational system. It is the professionalism, commitment and dedication of our teaching community that alone will transform our education system. No system of education can perform well if it is not manned by good teachers.

A good teacher teaches best through his or her own example. It is said 'the most powerful lessons are never spoken aloud.' A teacher of exemplary character, thought, and action communicates the ideals through his or her own example. I, therefore, appeal to you and through you to the entire teaching fraternity to strive for higher moral standards, a liberal and modern outlook and a commitment to professionalism and fair play.

I congratulate you, once again, on winning the national award. I wish you every success in the challenging task of building a new India and extend my warm greeting to all members of teaching community of our country.

Jai Hind.