Teachers should not be engaged in non-teaching activities: Rajnath Singh in Gaya

It is improper to engage teachers in non-teaching activities like preparing voters’ list, Aadhaar cards and so on. The state government should also take steps to exempt teachers from such kinds of work.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the teachers should not be engaged in non-teaching activities. While addressing the gathering of primary teachers at two-day 28th biennial international conference organised by the All India Primary Teachers’ Federation (AIPTF) at Gandhi Maidan Gaya on Saturday, he said, “I personally feel it is improper to engage teachers in non-teaching activities like preparing voters’ list, Aadhaar cards and so on. The state government should also take steps to exempt teachers from such kinds of work.”

Union minister Rajnath Singh addressing an international conference organised by AIPTF in Gaya on Saturday (Rajesh Kumar/HT Photo)

Condemning terrorists’ attack on Chinese consulate in Pakistan, he said all the countries of the world should join hands to uproot terrorism from the earth.

“Not only India and its neighbours are reeling under the impact of terrorists and extremists, but the entire world is facing this challenge, as terrorism has emerged as a global menace,” he said. “India is strong enough to counter terrorism and the armed forces here are capable of facing any such challenge. The Indian Army, fighting insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, has been given free hand to deal with any situation in the valley,” he added.

Stressing that India’s economy would grow at great speed, he said India was one of the fastest growing economy of the world and it had now become the sixth largest economy in the world. “India would be able to occupy third position in the world in terms economy by 2030,” he claimed.

Highlighting the importance of teachers, Singh said India was not only getting richer by riches alone, but the teachers had a great role to play. “It is only the teaching community that can give ‘sanskar’ to the coming generation. A single teacher, Chanakya, dreamt of united and integrated India and he groomed his student to rule over the country,” he said. The home minister said he could be able to reach to such a position only due to his two primary teachers—Nabi Rasool Sahab and Budhram Pandit—who taught him ‘sanskar’.

The home minister, while speaking on the demands of the teachers raised by AIPTF president Rampal Singh during his welcome speech, said he would not give them assurance. “I never assure the audience even in my election rallies like other politicians. Political leaders seldom remember the promises. I will, however, enable a comprehensive dialogue of the teachers’ delegation with the officials concerned in New Delhi and put my efforts for amicable settlement to their demands,” the minister said.

Earlier, the home minister inaugurated the two-day teachers’ conference by lighting the ceremonial lamp with Union minister state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Bihar’s minister Prem Kumar.

AIPTF president expressed gratitude to the ministers for their presence. The reception committee chairperson and Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar welcomed the guests and called upon the teachers to play the role of Chanakya in nation-building.

Others who also addressed the conference included, Choubey, Aurangabad MP Sushil Kumar Singh, Prem Kumar and others. Magadh University department of English teacher KK Narayan anchored the programme.