A teacher aspirant, young Manju never thought her dream would earn praise from an unexpected quarter.
A Class 12 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra, Manju’s excitement knew no bounds when Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar asked students and teachers who had gathered on the campus on Saturday to give her a big hand.
“As the future of education depends on good teachers, I wanted to hear from somebody who aspired to become a teacher. Special congratulations to Manju,” Mr. Javadekar said on his maiden visit to a school after his elevation to HRD Minister. Incidentally, Manju was among the very few students with whom the Minister had a random interaction.
Gurvinder Singh, a Class 12 student, was elated when the Minister went to him first, asking about his dream career. “A Navy officer,” replied the youngster. “Good, all the best. We will see you soon,” Mr. Javadekar said.
Chandana Prakash, a Class 10 student, also received applause from the audience and the Minister when she said she wanted to become a judge. “Give her also a big hand,” he said.
Grievances
When Mr. Javadekar asked teachers as to what was special about Kendriya Vidyalaya, pat came a reply from Mr. Suresh G., a senior faculty member.
“Teachers and students at KV work hard. We live for our students and devote a large chunk of our time to them. But, we have several grievances too, and I have mentioned them in this paper,” he said, handing over a memorandum to the Minister.
“I will read it and solve them,” Mr. Javadekar said, eliciting applause from teachers and students.
The Minister later took leave, saying he had to rush to the airport.
“Through Kochi traffic, you know how it is. You can’t predict when you will reach,” he said in a lighter vein.
