       Funds will be provided for upgradation of 7000 schools: LG
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha yesterday attended the Teachers’ Day celebration at Srinagar, paid tribute to former President and great educationist Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishanan and felicitated the award-winning teachers from across the Kashmir division.
In his address, the Lt Governor extended his hearty greetings to the teaching community and recalled the immense contribution and dedicated service of teachers who are igniting young minds.
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“Teacher is the biggest revolutionary and courageous person of this world. He breaks the barriers, old methods and gives a new shape, a new direction to the children, a new resolve and sparks new thinking in the minds of the children,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor highlighted the different roles a teacher plays simultaneously throughout his life.
“A teacher is an explorer who discovers hidden diamonds, gems and pearls in the form of students. As a gemologist, a teacher examines and shapes the diamonds carrying diverse talents. He is a jeweler and gives perfect shape and shine to precious gems,” the Lt Governor added.
The role of a teacher is to also bring creativity inside the classroom. A teacher should be courageous enough to break the stereotypes and let young minds develop their own creative, innovative ideas and critical thinking. Only the teacher has the ability to know the value of hidden talents, he said.
At the function, the Lt Governor impressed upon the teaching community to promote individuality and uniqueness of students and make teaching-learning process more interactive.
Goal of education is not to create a competitive mind but to create a creative and curious mind. We need a fine balance between competition and creativity. Test should not be based on competition but it should be based on originality, experiment, creative and scientific activity.
“I believe today we need teachers to instill creativity, curiosity, teamwork, leadership qualities and civilizational values of harmony, brotherhood and compassion in our children. We need to evolve new methods to create effective approaches to lifelong learning,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor reiterated the commitment of the UT Administration for upgradation of schools including manpower and infrastructure in a holistic manner. I assure you that funds will be provided for upgradation of 7000 such schools which lack basic facilities (6000 this year and 1000 during the next year), he said.
“On this day, let us strengthen our resolve and ensure that every child, especially the girls, have access to quality education, the Lt Governor said.”
Renowned educationist, Padma Shri Prof. JS Rajput; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, School & Higher Education, senior officers, Heads of Departments, large number of teachers and students were present.
After Srinagar, the Lt Governor joined the celebration at Jammu and felicitated the outstanding teachers for their admirable initiatives in school education.
Paying tributes to former President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary, the Lt Governor said the occasion provides us an opportunity to acknowledge the significant contribution of teachers to the society and the nation.
“Teachers create a system that is appropriate to the needs of the time and requirement of the society. They are the creators of real strength of the nation and pave the way for rapid social and economic progress of the future,” the Lt Governor said.
In his address, the Lt Governor called upon the teaching community to develop curiosity and inquisitiveness among the students and nurture their unique creativity and talent.
All the experiments and inventions, which brought a new revolution in the world, were started with curiosity and that is why teachers should create such an environment in the schools where students are encouraged to ask questions, he said.
We need to stop comparison, burden of tests and curriculum on students. Every child is unique. We need to remind children to be yourself. If we want to secure the future of this nation and create new possibilities, then we must provide an opportunity to their uniqueness to blossom, he added.
“Schools should prepare for future proofing of education so that they are empowered, anticipate change, develop a system for adjustment and students are encouraged for lifelong learning skills, combination of basic knowledge and applied skills,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor inaugurated 790 civil works under Samagra Shiksha and laid e-foundation of 376 Astrophysics Labs and 10 Virtual Reality Labs across J&K.
He also initiated the process for engagement of 15017 Aaya/Helpers for schools with pre-primary section.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Padma Shri Prof. JS Rajput; Padma Shri Prof. Vishwa Murti Shastri; Padma Shri Dr SP Varma; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, School & Higher Education, senior officers, teachers and students were present.
