President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Teachers’ Award on 82 teachers in school and higher education categories at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday (September 5, 2024). The awards are presented on September 5 each year on the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India.
The Department of School Education under the Ministry of Education selected 50 teachers for the awards this year. The Department of Higher Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship picked 16 teachers each.
The 50 teachers selected by the Department of School Education are from 28 states, 3 Union Territories and 6 organisations. They include 34 men and 16 women. Among them are two differently abled and one working with children with special needs. They have been selected through a rigorous, transparent and online process comprising of three stages - District, State and National level selection process.
Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash award of ₹50,000 and a silver medal. The awardees would also get an opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister.
Ms. Murmu said that teachers play the most important role in the success of any education system. “Teaching is not just a job. It is a sacred mission of human development. If a child is not able to perform well, then the education system and teachers have a bigger responsibility,” she said.
She pointed out that often teachers pay special attention only to those students who perform well in exams. However, excellent academic performance is only one dimension of excellence. “A child may be a very good sportsperson; one child might have leadership skills; another might enthusiastically participate in social welfare activities. The teacher has to identify the natural talent of each child and bring it out,” Ms. Murmu said.
Published - September 05, 2024 04:55 pm IST
