Nine out of the 13 teachers from the district who received the State government’s Dr. Radhakrishnan Award on Teacher’s Day, donated the ₹10,000 purse given to them to the Chief Minister’s COVID-19 relief fund.
The annual award that recognises excellence among teachers, is presented by the State’s School Education Department. Thirteen teachers from the district who were selected for the award this year were presented with the award - ₹10,000, a medal and a citation - at the Collectoate in the presence of Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar and Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan.
M. Murugeshwari, Headmistress of Government Kallar Primary School in Munduvelampatti, who was among the first few awardees on stage to announce their contribution to the CM’s relief fund, said, “I am happy and proud to have received this prestigious award. Since I have been seeing so many people in my village suffering financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought I should give away the money to the CM’s COVID-19 relief fund. This is a small contribution from the teaching community to help people return to leading their normal lives.”
While congratulating the awardees, Mr. Venkatesan said that teachers played a huge role in shaping children’s lives and hence it was the collective responsibility of all to celebrate them. “It is said that one retains memories of childhood than any other stage in life. Teachers are the people who can shape childhood. Their guidance alone can inspire students toward bigger things. Teacher’s Day is a very emotional day for all of us. Since morning, I have been thinking about teachers who made a difference in my life, particularly about popular scholar Ilankumaranar, who was my school teacher,” he said.
Collector’s path
Dr. Aneesh Sekhar recalled his childhood days and said his school teachers were the reason he was in this position now. “I was not a topper in primary school. My rank used to be around 35 in a class of 50. My teachers motivated me and explained why studies were important. I started getting better and they are the reason I stand here in front of you,” he said. He urged the teachers not to give up on students who did not perform well and provide extra attention to those who needed help.
