"We must once again accord high respect to teachers, to regain the status of Vishwaguru"

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has greeted India’s teachers, on Teachers’ Day. 

In an email message to all teachers, the Prime Minister said “teaching is not just another profession. It is a divine responsibility to guide and enlighten.” He said that by according high status to the teaching community, India had once attained the status of Vishwaguru. “We must once again accord such respect to the teachers and thereby regain that status where India becomes the beacon of knowledge for the entire world,” he added. 

The Prime Minister said the wheels of change have put India on the march towards Surajya. “Your determination and sincerity will shape the destiny of the nation! I want to see the day when every student is proud of his or her Teachers and every Teacher is proud of his or her students,” he said. 

“The influences and experiences you share with your students will remain with them for a lifetime. You are also laying the foundation and the building blocks of the society. This is a responsibility of great significance because on this depends how our present and future generations will thrive,” the Prime Minister said. 

The Prime Minister said that in the present day, often learning is equated with either collection of information or mastery of skills for occupations and Jobs. “Yes, that is important but I call upon you to widen the horizon of thinking of your students. Encourage them to think critically about broader issues concerning our Nation, society and the environment. Our goal must be to create good Citizens who are capable of preserving the past and creating the future,” the Prime Minister said.

“Lessons in good citizenship inculcated at a young age will go a long way in creating a better society. This could be as simple as traffic rules, cleanliness, gender sensitization, concern for the weak and reverence for the elders. I hope I can count on your support to make a beginning this Teachers’ Day. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to this task; this duty,” the Prime Minister said.