Asking the teachers to imbibe the spirit of nationalism and patriotism among students, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday gave away national awards for teachers.
President Ram Nath Kovind later interacted with the 219 awardees at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Naidu also said the atmosphere in universities should not be polluted as they are places of worship like Temples.
“Time has come we must get back to roots. We must understand the heritage of this land and compete with the world. Educational institutions are places of worship like temples. We must not pollute atmosphere in universities and campus should not be disturbed... Teachers must imbibe spirit of nationalism and patriotism among students,” he said at the award ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan.
He also urged upon the government to ensure mother tongue is used in teaching learning process. “We must pay attention and focus on using mother tongue for teaching and learning. Students should learn many Indian languages,” he said.
The Vice President said that India’s value system, culture and heritage should be accorded due importance in the syllabus.
Constituted in 1958, the National Award for Teachers is presented by the president to teachers, who have rendered exemplary service to the nation by exhibiting meritorious performance. The awards cover teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Constituted in 1958, the National Award for Teachers is presented by the president to teachers, who have rendered exemplary service to the nation by exhibiting meritorious performance. The awards cover teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Congratulating the teachers on the occasion, Naidu called them the "unsung heroes".
“Teachers are 'bharata bhagya vidhatas' (shapers of India's development), dedicating their time and energy to shape individuals for creating New India. They have a formidable responsibility to achieve 100 per cent literacy in next five years,” Naidu said.
A total of 219 teachers, including 124 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teachers, were awarded.
The recognition is extended to teachers of CBSE-affiliated schools, independent affiliated schools situated abroad, ICSCE, Sainik School, KVs, NVs, CTSA and schools run by the Atomic Energy Education Society.
The award ceremony was also presided over by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and the newly inducted Minister of State for HRD Satyapal Singh.
On the occasion, the vice president also launched DIKSHA, a national digital infrastructure for teachers.
"DIKSHA is a customisable national digital infrastructure that states, Teacher Education Institutions (TEI) and private entities can use for their respective teacher-centric initiatives.
"Teachers will be able to use DIKSHA to access and create high quality teaching, learning and assessment resources for all subjects and levels in all Indian languages. They will be able to use DIKSHA to access and create high quality teaching," Javadekar said.