It is unfortunate that in this materialistic world, financial rewards of teaching at primary level are low, and it seems that the teaching profession has lost social esteem; this must be corrected to ensure that the next generation of students gets a conducive environment for learning, said T. Ramasami, Secretary, Union Department of Science and Technology, on Saturday.
Delivering the 31st convocation address of Mangalore University at Mangalagangotri on ‘Education: For India of the Future’, Mr. Ramasami said the present generation was the “next-best generation of India” having been brought up in a post-liberalised economy, and free from a lack of self-faith. However, he warned that the demographic dividend — a high percentage of youth in the country — could easily turn into a disaster if the challenges that faced the education system were not addressed.
“The quality deficit in educational systems, especially in rural parts of country, is frightening…we need to help build the social esteem of primary-school teachers that can cause a cascade of internal enquiries in the minds of students and impart good social value,” he said.
He said education should lead to strengthening of character and must not be undertaken just to ensure employability. “Teaching methods needed to be redesigned, and Information Technology Enabled methods offered opportunities for redesigning,” said Mr. Ramasami.
A total of 84 persons were awarded their PhDs, and 36 students given gold medals by H.R. Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka and the Chancellor of Mangalore University. Additional 60 students were given certificates of appreciation for obtaining a rank in their respective courses.
