The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, conferred National Awards on 45 teachers from across the country at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the occasion of Teachers’ Day on 5 September 2022.

Speaking on the occasion, the President remembered her teachers and said that they not only taught her but also gave her love and inspiration. On the strength of the guidance of her family and teachers, she became the first daughter of her village to attend college. She said that she always feels indebted to her teachers for whatever she has achieved in life.

The President stressed on the development and usage of mother tongue and said that the development of original talent in science, literature, or the social sciences can be more effective through the mother tongue and remarked that, “It is our mothers who teach us the art of living in our early lives. That is why mother tongue is helpful in developing natural talent. After the mother, the teachers carry forward our education in our lives. If teachers also teach in their mother tongue, then students can develop their talent with ease. That is why in the National Education Policy 2020, emphasise has been laid on the use of Indian languages for school education and higher education.”

The President said that good teachers can make complex principles easy to explain with the help of living examples that exist in nature, quoting, “the mediocre teacher tells; the good teacher explains; the superior teacher demonstrates; and the great teacher inspires.”

The President urged teachers to encourage the habit of asking questions and expressing doubts in the students. She said that by answering more and more questions and solving doubts, their knowledge would also increase. A good teacher is always enthusiastic about learning something new.