President Ram Nath Kovind honoured 46 people to commemorate Teachers’ Day for the year 2018, on Thursday, September 5. The event was organised at Rashtrapati Bhavan to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. A floral tribute was paid to Dr Radhakrishnan who was an exemplary teacher and a philosopher-author, by the President, Officers, and other staff at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

'The foundation of character-building is laid in schools': President Kovind 

The President felicitated around 46 teachers from across the country, on the 61st year of the National Teachers’ Award event. Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind said, the foundation of character-building is laid in schools. “For students, teachers are like parents. Teachers should understand their fundamental responsibilities. In order to have a new smart generation, we have to teach them how to maintain a balance between knowledge and discretion,” he said.

President Kovind also cited the Chanakya Niti and said that the bond between Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya was inseparable. He said, “Maurya is known by the name of his Guru, thus Guru plays a major role in the growth of a child.” He also spoke of how one can learn from Chanakya about living a simple life and working in the interest of the nation. He emphasised that teachers should educate children about air pollution, climate change and the importance of water conservation.

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Minister of Human Resources Development Ramesh Pokhriyal, was also present at the event. The list of teachers to be awarded was already released by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). This prestigious award carries a silver medal, a certificate and a cash reward of Rs 50,000. The awards are given to teachers who have not only contributed to improving the quality of education but also enriched the lives of the students.

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Political leaders celebrating Teachers' Day

President Kovind took to Twitter, to extend his greetings on Teachers’ Day. He said, “On Teachers’ Day, I pay homage to Dr S. Radhakrishnan & extend greetings to all our teachers. They infuse young minds with strong values & inspire them to be curious, to seek knowledge & to dream. Doing this, they contribute immensely towards nation-building.”

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PM Modi, also extended his greetings to the teaching community and shared a video outlining the bond between teachers and their students, on Twitter.

Home Minister Amit Shah thanked teachers for their exemplary work in shaping society. 

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar paid tribute to his mother on Teachers' Day.

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