The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu conferred National Awards on  teachers from across the country at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi today (September 5, 2023) on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that elementary education has fundamental importance in anyone's life. She added that many educationists speak about the three-H formula for the balanced development of children in which the first H is Heart, the second H is Head and the third H is Hand. She shared that heart is related to sensitivity, human values, strength of character and morality. She added that head or brain is related to mental development, reasoning power and reading and hand is related to respect for manual skills and physical labour. She said that all-round development of children would be possible only by emphasizing on such a holistic approach.

The President emphasised that in view of the women participation in teaching profession, the number of female teachers receiving Teachers' awards should be higher. Encouraging female students and teachers is very important for women empowerment, she emphasized.

The President said that teachers build the future of the nation. She added that quality education is considered the fundamental right of every child and role of teachers is the most important in achieving these goals. She added that the importance of teachers as nation-builders has also been clearly stated in the National Education Policy 2020.

The President said that it is the duty of the teachers as well as the parents to recognize the unique abilities of each child and help the child to develop those abilities with sensitivity. She said that every parent wants their child to be given special attention and treated with affection and parents hand over their children to teachers with great trust. She added that it is a great privilege for every teacher to get the opportunity to share love among 40-50 children of a class.

The President said that everyone remembers their teachers. She added that the praise, encouragement or punishment that children get from teachers remains in their memories. She said that if children are punished with the intention of improvement in them, they realize it later. She added that giving love and affection is more important than giving them knowledge.