: President APJ Abdul Kalam on Wednesday gave away the “Rank and Bolt” awards to teachers and students who had emerged winners after competing at the state levels.
The National Bolt award for teachers was won by Mr Brian Neil Aallang of Meghalaya while the national Rank award was bagged by Arunachal Pradesh student Chau Thoomten. Belgaum’s Dr Sudheer Dhume was one of the runners- up in the teachers’ category. The awards were instituted by public sector Air India and English weekly The Week. Deccan Herald-Prajavani sponsored the events in Karnataka.
Speaking after handing over the awards, the President said he was happy that the innovative venture, with the objective of developing responsible and active citizens and promoting a clean environment, was taken up.
“This I consider an important programme which will facilitate capacity building among the youth and motivate teachers for their new initiative. Students and teachers are important participants in our national development missions”, he added.
“The primary focus of the students should be to excel in their studies. This is their first contribution to the development of the nation. The education system should instill in the minds of students capacities of inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership”.
Referring to the contribution of teachers, Dr Kalam said to enable development of youth first and foremost, the teacher’s love for teaching was essential, with teaching as the soul of the teacher.
“The teacher must realise that they are responsible for shaping not just students but ignited youth who are the most powerful resource under the earth, on the earth and above the earth. With their full commitment to the great mission of teaching, the teacher transforms himself or herself as a great teacher only when he or she is capable of elevating the average student to high performance. The teacher conducting himself or herself in a noble way itself is a lifetime message for students”.
Speaking on the occasion, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel stressed the importance of corporate social governance and added that corporates and PSUs should take up social responsibility. AI, he said, had always come to the country’s help be it evacuation of Indians in Kuwait, tsunami victims etc.
