President awards 44 teachers

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 5

President Ram Nath Kovind today conferred the prestigious National Teachers’ Awards on 44 teachers from across the country, including Haryana, Punjab, J&K and Ladakh, in recognition of their contributions to the field of education, including developing innovative methods of teaching.

The awardees included Mamta Paliwal (GGSSS, Bhiwani, Haryana), Kamal Kishore Sharma (Government Senior Secondary School, Kandaghat, HP), Jagtar Singh (Government Primary School, Khamano, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab), Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, (Government Primary School, Reasi, J&K) and Muhammad Ali (Government Middle School, Kargil, Ladakh).

A documentary featuring each of the 44 awardees lauding their innovative and unique ways to help children learn better was also shown during the virtual function.

While Bhiwani’s Paliwal used her skills to teach mathematics in a creative and simple way, Kandaghat’s Kamal Kishor Sharma used old furniture and infrastructure to create a midday meals’ area/room in his school.

Jagtar Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib used community funding to makeover his school and Reasi’s Sanjeev Kumar Sharma helped his school located in a far-fledged area join the mainstream. Kargil’s Muhammad Ali with the help of a new experiment “learning by doing” started language classes in his school.

President Kovind said giving the awards to such accomplished teachers made him confident about the country’s future.

“Such teachers strengthen my belief that the future generation is safe in the hands of well-qualified teachers. Teachers have a very important place in everyone’s life. People remember their teachers lifelong,” he said.

“Teachers should pay special attention to the fact that each student has different ability, talent, psychology, social background and environment. Therefore, emphasis should be laid on the all-round development of each child according to their special needs, interests and abilities,” he said.

The President said, “Education based on love, not fear is more effective and useful and sensitive teachers can shape the future of students by their behaviour, conduct and teaching.”

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remembered the contributions of former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the renowned philosopher and academician on whose birthday the day is celebrated.