M A I N   N E W S

Kalam honours 282 teachers
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 5
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today honoured 282 teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day and hailed them as vital members of society who instil knowledge and nobility generation after generation.

“For India to get transformed into a developed nation by 2020, education is an important component. Our education policy should ensure that India is transformed into a developed nation,” he said, giving away National Awards to teachers.

India has some five million teachers.

Stating that teachers were an integral part for social development, Mr Kalam said good teachers could generate enlightened minds and instil confidence and will power in students to help them realise their dreams.

The President said at the same time it was important to ensure that teachers were provided with all facilities so that they could impart proper teaching to students.

He said the right kind of environment should be created for the teachers so that they love their profession. He said the awardees from across the country represented 200 million students.

“Your excellence should not stay with you. It should spread,” he said while giving away the awards consisting of a citation, a medal and Rs.25,000.

The awards are given every year to teachers who excel in their vocation, the selection based on recommendations from state governments and education organisations.

The largest number of awardees was from Maharashtra, (29); Uttar Pradesh, (28); Tamil Nadu, (22); Andhra Pradesh, (16); Kerala, (16); Gujarat, (14); Karnataka, (13); Rajasthan, (13); Madhya Pradesh, (12); West Bengal, (12); and Orissa, (10).

Of the rest, Bihar had eight recipients; Haryana, seven; Chhattisgarh six; Assam five; Himachal, New Delhi, Punjab and Uttaranchal four each; Arunachal, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry two each; and Dadra and Nagar Haveli one.

Also awarded were 14 teachers belonging to the Central Board of Secondary Education, five to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, three each to the National Institute of Open School and the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, two each to the Sainik School Society and the Atomic Energy Education Society and one to the Navodaya Vidyalaya Society.

The gathering was also addressed by Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Minister of State for Human Resource Developkment Vallabbhai Kathiria.