On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi extended their greetings to teachers across the country, recognising their invaluable contribution to society and nation-building.
In her customary Teachers’ Day message, President Murmu expressed gratitude to all dedicated teachers for their contribution. “I wish that all teachers nurture enlightened generations who will take the nation to greater heights,” she said.
The President called upon teachers to continually update their knowledge, embrace technology and adopt innovative teaching methods. She urged them to promote independent thinking and cultivate a spirit of enquiry among students.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, said that Teachers’ Day is an occasion to appreciate the profound contribution of teachers to society. On the eve of Teachers’ Day, the Prime Minister hosted the winners of the National Teachers Awards for an interaction at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
The awardees shared experiences and innovations that have shaped their teaching journeys, including several creative approaches they have adopted to make classroom learning more engaging and effective.
This year, 82 teachers and educators have been selected for the National Teachers Awards across 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 will receive the National Awards from the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
During his interaction with the awardees, Prime Minister Modi said teachers need to look beyond the academic performance of children and remain attentive to their behaviour and everyday lives.
Referring to the decline of the traditional joint-family system, he said teachers now have an increasingly important role to play in the lives of children. Raising concerns about drug abuse, the Prime Minister called upon teachers to remain alert to behavioural changes among children, identify possible causes and help those affected overcome the habit.
Prime Minister Modi also emphasised that preserving the innocence of childhood is an important responsibility that teachers can help fulfil. Children, he said, possess a natural curiosity, and if teachers nurture and appropriately channelise it, they can make a significant contribution to their overall development.
Highlighting excessive screen time as a growing concern, the Prime Minister urged teachers to engage with parents on how much time children spend on screens and whether they continue using mobile phones late into the night. He suggested that children could gradually reduce excessive screen use by developing an interest in sports, physical games and creative activities.
Referring to the National Education Policy, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of taking children beyond the classroom and connecting them with real-world skills and different forms of work. He urged teachers to go beyond imparting knowledge prescribed in the syllabus and help inculcate values such as the dignity of labour among students.
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Teachers’ Day is celebrated in India every year on September 5 to mark the birth anniversary of former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, an eminent philosopher, author and teacher.
