'A teacher's word brings change in the life of a student'

My dear students and friends from different schools all over the country and those present in this function. Today is Teachers' Day. Gradually, this inspiring chapter is losing its importance; perhaps, there would be many schools where September 5 is not remembered in this form. This has become limited to giving awards to teacher and having ceremonies. Need of the hour is to underline the importance of a teacher in our social life. Till the time we don't accept this, neither will we feel the honour for a teacher nor be successful in changing the new generation through the medium of teachers. That is why there is a need to update this great tradition and re-energise it.
 

There is a need for debate on the reasons why many bright students do not want to become teachers. All of us have to find the answer to this question. In a global context, it is believed there is a great demand for teachers and good teachers are in short supply. India is a young nation. Can't India dream of exporting teachers of high calibre? Can't we instil this desire in the heart of today's children that I will become a great teacher and will contribute in the progress of my country? How do we rekindle this feeling?

Ask any great person in the world about success in life, and he or she will definitely tell two things. First this is my mother's contribution and second, my teacher's contribution. We get to hear this from about almost every great personality. There was a time when this feeling was there for a teacher. If there was one most respected figure in the entire village, it was the teacher. His word was final. Gradually, this situation has changed considerably. However, we can establish it once again.

As a child, you might be having many questions. Many of you must be finding it difficult to enjoy holidays and will be eagerly waiting for Monday, so that you can go and tell the teacher what all was done on Sunday. Things which can't be told to our mother, brother and sister, one feels so eager to tell one's teacher. This is the level of closeness. The same teacher changes his/her life. A teacher's word brings major change in the life of a student. I know of many students who talk like their teacher, dress like their teacher, he is their hero. This is a stage that needs to be enlivened to strengthen our new generation. There is a saying in China that those who think only for a year, they sow food grains, those who think for a decade, they plant fruits. But those who think for generations, they prepare humans. It means to educate, to imbibe culture and to prepare someone for life.

I have said on August 15 that I want no school to remain without toilets for girls by the end of this year. A number of schools do not have toilets for girls. Some schools do not have toilets for boys, too. Many may feel that this job is not worthy of a prime minister. But when I went into the details, I found that this is a highly important job. I was there in Japan couple of days ago. An Indian family met me; the wife was Japanese and the husband, who was Indian came to me and said 'I heard your Independence Day speech. You are insisting on cleanliness. There is a rule here in Japan that all of us, teachers and the students, together clean the school. Even the toilets are cleaned collectively. This is part of our character building in our school. Why is it not so in India?' I said that I have to go back and ask the media people, otherwise it will run for 24 hours. Once, when I was in Gujarat, there was a programme on TV that said school children were cleaning the school. What kind of a school was that, what type of management was this, what teachers, exploitation of children! Anyway, I made light of that event. However, how will we make this a national trait? This can happen.

I call upon the senior people of the country. You may be doctors, lawyers, IAS officers or IPS officers. Can't you identify a school nearby and volunteer to teach there for at least one period after deciding on an appropriate subject with the school? Howsoever senior an officer, why can't he or she spend some time once in a week with children and teach them something. Why can't we convert nation-building into a people's movement?

The importance of technology is increasing day by day. I will request all the teachers that if something is needed to be learnt, it should be learnt. We should keep on learning irrespective of our age being 40, 45 or 50. We are living with children who are growing in the age of technology. We should not keep them deprived from this. That will be a social crime.

Sometimes I ask this from children. I want to ask you also a question, will you reply? How many children sweat profusely four times in a day? How many? There is no one? If there are no sports in life, a child will not bloom. This is a stage one should enjoy and spare time to sweat at least four times in a day. Will you do that? Are you sure? Your life should not be burdened with TV, books and computer. Life is also beyond these. We must have enjoyment in our lives. How many of you have a hobby of reading outside your curriculum? It seems there are a good number of such children. How many of you like to read autobiographies? It seems there are very few such children. I ask children to read the biography of the person whom they like the most. By reading biographies we come closer to history. We know the contemporary history by reading about the life of a person. It is not necessary that we should read a particular type of biography only. If someone wants to advance in sports, he should read the biography of a person from that field. If someone has done well in cinema and you get the chance to read his biography, you must read. If someone has done well in the field of business his biography should be read. It someone has worked as a scientist his autobiography should be read. By reading biographies, we get the chance to come closer to the history and to understand what the truth is. We should strive for that. Otherwise, everything is done by Google Guru; you have the habit to go to Google if you have a question. One gets information but not knowledge.

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Edited excerpts of the English rendition of the opening remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his interaction with students from across the country on the occasion of Teachers' Day, September 5, 2014