45 teachers make it to coveted national awards

Just 45 school teachers including three from Karnataka could make it to the national teachers' awards under a new selection process and criteria introduced by the central government from this year.

Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu presented the prestigious awards to these teachers at a function organised to mark the Teachers' Day on Tuesday in New Delhi.

Shaila R N, head mistress of the Government high school, T Dasarahalli (rural Bengaluru); Rameshappa G, a physical education teacher at the Government Junior College High School section, Vijayapura Devanahalli Taluk and M Shivakumar, assistant teacher at Government high school, Cheemangala, were among the 45 teachers who received the prestigious awards from Naidu.

The award carried a medal, certificate and a cheque of Rs 50, 000.

Last year, as many as 216 school teachers from different parts of the country were selected for the coveted awards.

“This time we changed the process to give the awards to those who have done innovations. As many as 6,500 teachers had submitted their nominations online for the awards. A total of 150 nominations came to us from the states after screening at the district and state level. The jury (set up at the national level) selected 45 of them for the awards,” Prakash Javadekar, Human Resource Development (HRD) minister, said while addressing the event.

Out of 45 awardees, 40 teachers are from government schools, he added.

Addressing the event, Naidu called for instilling "Indian ethos" in school students.

He made a host of suggestions to improve the quality and standards of school education. He also advised both the central and state governments to ensure that education is provided to students “primarily” in their mother tongue.

"Learn English but don't become an englishman. This is my advice to all people. People (Britishers) who came here and looted you, you are reading their greats. We have to come out of the colonial mindset and take pride in our heritage. We are a great nation with great heritage," he said in his message to school students, parents and teachers on the occasion.

Reena Ray, HRD ministry's school education department secretary, assured the vice president that her department would “definitely act upon” his advice.

Instituted in 1958, the coveted national awards are given away on the occasion of Teachers Day every year to those, who through their commitment have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.

Since President Ram Nath Kovind is on a three-nation visit to Europe, this year the vice president presented the awards— Naidu has done this for the second consecutive year.

Traditionally the awards are given to the teachers by the president.