Schools should encourage rational thinking and inculcate scientific temper among students to eradicate superstitious beliefs, said President Pranab Mukherjee here on Wednesday.
Speaking at the sesquicentennial year celebration of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School here, he said the aim of education should be building of character and not merely injecting of information. He said educational institutions should instil in students commitment to “our core values such as love for motherland, belief in peaceful co-existence and acceptance of diversity”.
He lauded the school and said that the school’s alumni such as General K.S. Thimayya and Raja Ramanna had made the country proud. While congratulating the school for being ranked among the top three in the country, he said the school should aspire to be one of the top three in the world.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that schools across the country should impart quality education and not deny education to any child, and added that the RTE Act was a step in the right direction.
Raising the issue of medium of instruction at the primary level, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the language of the land should be respected and get priority in early learning. “Our government and our people want primacy to Kannada in education at the primary school level,” he said.
However, Mr. Siddaramaiah also said that language should be a carrier of thought and not become a barrier to be fought.
