New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu conferred National Awards on 75 teachers from across the country at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on Tuesday on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.
Four teachers from Odisha received the prestigious award from the President.
The teachers are Shashi Sekhar Kar Sharma, Kenduapada Nodal High School, Bhadrak; Subhash Chandra Rout, Brundaban Govt. High School, Jagatsinghpur; Sunita Singh, Assistant Training Officer (A.T.O.), Govt. Industrial Training Institute, Bhubaneswar and Rabinarayan Sahu, Training Officer, Special ITI for PwDs, Khudpur, Khordha district.
Shashi Sekhar Kar Sharma, a National Awardee Teacher 2023 from Odisha, takes virtual classes on Doordarshan Edusat and YouTube. He developed slides on the entire science syllabus of Class IX-X in Odia. He developed FLN supplementary materials as well.
Subhash Chandra Rout, a National Awardee Teacher 2023, introduced innovative practices like Saturday Zero period activities, low-cost TLM, My Book My Buddy etc. that helped students immensely.
Sunita Singh, a National Awardee Teacher 2023 from Odisha, is an Assistant Training Officer of IoT Technician Smart City in a Govt. ITI. She has trained over 200 trainees. She visits schools, slums, etc. to encourage enrolment of females in ITIs.
Rabinarayan Sahu, a National Awardee Teacher 2023 from Odisha, is a Training Officer of the Electrician trade in a Special ITI for PWDs. He has trained over 300 trainees who have been recruited by ISRO, DRDO, Indian Railways, Nalco, etc.
Speaking on the occasion, the President emphasised that encouraging female students and teachers is very important for women’s empowerment. She also emphasised that in view of women’s participation in the teaching profession, the number of female teachers receiving Teachers’ awards should be higher.
The President said that teachers build the future of the nation. She said, quality education is considered the fundamental right of every child, and the role of teachers is the most important in achieving these goals. President Murmu said, the importance of teachers as nation-builders has also been clearly stated in the National Education Policy 2020. She said, 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.
The President said, 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 in a class.
Every year, India celebrates 5th September, the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, as National Teachers’ Day. The purpose of the National Teachers’ Award is to celebrate the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who, through their commitment and dedication, have not only improved the quality of education but also enriched the lives of their students. Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash award of 50 thousand rupees, and a silver medal.