'Role of teachers in nation building is paramount', says PM Modi on Teachers Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday saluted the 'dedication and commitment' of all the teachers on the occasion of Teachers Day, saying their role in nation building is paramount.

"Happy Teachers Day! India salutes the dedication & commitment of all teachers, whose role in nation building is paramount," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, saying he was a scholar, statesman and a respected teacher who shaped many minds and served India.

In his last address to the nation during his 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Modi said that for him, Teachers Day was an Education Day as well.

"In our life, a teacher holds the same place which a mother does. We have also seen such teachers who care more for their pupils than for themselves. They devote their lives for their disciples, their students," he said.

"We always feel the contribution of our teachers in our lives. September 5 happens to be the birthday of India's former president Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan ji and the country celebrates this as Teachers Day. Whatever post he held in his life, he always tried to live like a teacher, an educator. Not only this, he always said that "a good teacher can only be one who keeps the student within always alive". Dr. Radhakrishnan ji showed this by living as a teacher and by keeping alive the student within him despite holding the highest office of the president," he added.

Dr Radhakrishnan believed that 'teachers should be the best minds in the country.'

When he was president, he once said that instead of celebrating his birthday, it would be a privilege for him if his date of birth were to be celebrated as Teacher's Day, and so from there on, every September 5 is celebrated as Teachers Day in India.

Teacher's Day is celebrated on different days all across the world, and it also varies from the World Teacher's Day on October 5. In India, September 5 has been celebrated as Teacher's Day since 1962.