JOIN USAnsari, speaking at a ceremony in which he gave away the National Awards for Teachers for 2008, said: “The need of the hour is to painstakingly rebuild the professional identity of our teachers, nurture their skills and professional competence through continuing education.
“Today we have a situation in which teachers are politically empowered and professionally disempowered which is a disservice to the cause of education. The society on its part needs to recognise their work and reward them appropriately,” he said.
The vice-president gave the awards to over 300 teachers nominated by various state governments as well as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), Central Tibetan School Administration (CTSA), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Sainik Schools.
Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal called upon teachers to upgrade their skills, “as teachers are the window through which children see the world.” Underlining the need for change in education system, he said the Government’s commitment towards this end could be recognised from the fact that the 11th Five-Year Plan saw a near five-fold increase in the outlays for education over the previous Plan.