Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon teachers to go beyond textbooks and play a greater role in preserving childhood while shaping the lives of students. He made these remarks while interacting with the National Teachers’ Day Award winners in New Delhi yesterday.
While sharing glimpses of the interaction with Teachers in a social media post, the Prime Minister emphasised that teachers must ensure that the child within every student remains alive, and for that, they should also preserve the child within themselves.
He stressed that bringing about real change in children requires teachers to become a part of their lives rather than limiting themselves to the syllabus.
Highlighting key health and social issues, Mr Modi expressed concern over excessive screen time among children and suggested encouraging sports, outdoor activities and creative pursuits as effective ways to reduce screen addiction.
He also spoke about breast cancer awareness, saying that women are increasingly coming forward voluntarily for health check-ups, reflecting growing awareness.
The Prime Minister cautioned against the growing menace of drug abuse, saying awareness must be created continuously, as children may unknowingly fall prey to such substances. Mr Modi also referred to the National Education Policy and stressed the importance of taking children outside the classroom and connecting them with real-world skills and forms of work.
This year, 82 teachers and educators have been selected for the National Teachers Awards from three departments.
These include 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 teachers and faculty members from Higher Educational Institutions and Polytechnics, and 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The awardees highlighted the experiences and innovations that have shaped their teaching journey. They shared several creative approaches adopted by them to make classroom learning more engaging and effective.
The Prime Minister further underlined that Teachers’ Day is about appreciating the strong contribution of teachers to our society, and noted that it is also a day to pay homage to Bharat Ratna Dr S Radhakrishnan.
