The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, conferred National Awards on 47 teachers from across the country in the first-ever award ceremony held virtually today (September 5, 2020) on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. The President in his speech congratulated the winners of the award and appreciated the steps taken by the teachers in order to improve school education qualitatively. He observed that about 40 percent of the winners of the National Awards were women and appreciated the role women have played as educators.
Emphasizing on the importance of digital technology in challenging times of COVID pandemic, President Kovind said that our teachers are taking the help of this technology to reach out to the children. Applauding the skills of teachers in shifting to this new technology-driven teaching, he said that it is important for all teachers “to upgrade and update” their skills in the field of digital technology so as to make education more effective and also make the students conversant with the new techniques. President Kovind said the online education system has made it obligatory for the parents to join hands with the teachers and encourage children to evoke interest in new fields of learning. Pointing out at the digital divide, he also emphasized that steps should be taken so that children from tribal and far-flung areas are also benefitted.
While addressing the participants, Shri Pokhriyal expressed his gratitude to the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind for sharing his vision and encourage a great sense of pride among the participants. Shri Pokhriyal appreciated the award-winning teachers, who have earned this award in recognition of their contribution towards grooming the future of our children.
The Minister said that the teachers are considered the most respected member of society as they shape the future of children and the future of the nation. Teachers are the nation builder whose character, spirit, and energy shape the destiny of nations. He appealed that a teacher should make full use of their intellectual abilities to inspire generations and to achieve the goals of parity, social justice, and excellence in national and global contexts. The Minister added that the main responsibility of a teacher is to be aware of the changing social needs and individual needs of the learners and also to take into account past experiences, educational priorities, and national development goals in the teaching-learning process.
This year, the candidates appeared before the Jury through Video Conference and made presentations before the Jury. The jury selected 47 teachers. The selected awardees with their commitment have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students and community through various activities like improving enrolment and reducing dropouts, adopting joyful and experiential teaching-learning practices, development and use of cost-effective TLMs, organizing extra-curricular & co-curricular activities, spreading social awareness among children, encouraging community participation, appropriate and effective use of ICT in teaching, promotion of nation-building and national integration.
To know ore about the 47 National Teachers’ Awards 2020 awardees, please click here.
News Source: Press Information Bureau | Read more ‘General’ news on dailyschoolsnews.com.
