Share
Alemtemshi Jamir, far right, seen here with others at the Teachers’ Day celebrations organised by the Diphupar Naga Students’ Union.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Mokokchung, Sep. 5: Educational institutions in Nagaland celebrated Teachers’ Day on September 5 with a call to teachers to rededicate to their profession in educating students to be productive and learned citizens of the future.
The government publicity agency, the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR), issued updates on Thursday giving details about the Teachers’ Day celebrations in the district education establishments across the state.
Diphupar
At Diphupar in Dimapur, the chief executive officer of the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland Alemtemshi Jamir addressed the Teachers’ Day programme that was organised by the Diphupar Naga Students’ Union.
The former chief secretary of the state said Teachers’ Day is a day to reflect the role of teachers in shaping the society and to reflect on the role the society in adapting for the future.
“The ability to teach is the basic structure which man has imbibed to grow, the ability to pass on knowledge and the ability for the generation to keep on passing of knowledge that has brought mankind to where we are.”
“I’m sure all of you have a memory of someone or somebody who has taught you to be what you are and what you here are today,” he said in paying tribute to teachers.
“The future is here,” he said. ‘We’re in the age of acceleration where everything is changing faster than we can even think. The days, the times are changing so fast that we are forgetting what and where we are. Although we are complacent in our life today, the whole world is changing,” the former bureaucrat said. He reminded that teachers have to learn further too and that they have to teach students how to cope with the future.
Raising concerns about Climate Change with various concerns from increasing temperature to pollution, he said these are serious crises. ‘We are losing control of where we are. The whole world, we are not knowing how we can survive, and these changes are accelerating,’ he said.
Jamir spoke also about economic slowdowns which he said were ‘becoming faster and faster and people are concerned about the economic slowdown which is going at faster and faster rate.’ Likewise, he spoke about how technology is expanding fast and that students and teachers in particular have to pay attention to the changes.
“In the realm of Technology, we’re hearing of things which we have never heard before,” he said. He opined that ‘in the next fifteen years things will have doubled at faster speed.’
‘With the advancement in technology everyone must be aware that it will reach a point of “technological singularity” where a whole new human civilisation and human culture may evolve citing the advancement in the artificial intelligence , autonomous machines that will built newer machines by themselves, and bio-technology,’ he said. “These are the issues, which are accelerating.”
On politics, he said “Today, mankind is not talking about democracy, not talking about human rights.” He added that in spite of advancement and excellence in science and technology that had extended its reach even to space, ‘humanity and solace’ are forgotten among the great nations and their leaders.
Another matter he raised concerns about was that “education is outdated” with the advancement of technology which has made information available at people’s finger tips.
However, Jamir said schools and colleges’ education cannot be substituted. “I on the other hand believe that education is here to stay. We cannot do away with schools and colleges. We need schools and teachers to built human values,’ he said.
Jamir expressed concern also at ‘economic problems’ in that despite efforts no investors are willing to come to Nagaland ‘due to many reasons.’
“No investment can come into Nagaland, unless we ourselves grow as the investors and entrepreneurs,” he said and urged the teachers to be the ones to educate students to work for change, to solve problems and nurture students into good citizens.
The celebration saw stage performances including music and fancy dress sessions.
Further, Subhadeep Chatterjee, a teacher at Eklavya model residential school, and T Kalivi Yepthomi, principal of the government higher secondary school, delivered speeches on behalf of teachers.
Students and teachers from about 19 schools, and village leaders and well wishers attended the event.
Zunheboto district celebrated Teachers’ day on the 5th of September in the government higher secondary school with Deputy Commissioner Peter Lichamo as the event’s special guest.
Awards were given to teachers by Deputy Commissioner Peter Lichamo. Senior pastor of Zunheboto town Sumi Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Daniel Chishi said prayers for teachers, the IPR stated.
In his speech at the event, Peter Lichamo explained that a student’s life is shaped by three persons: Father, mother and the teacher. He exhorted the teachers to continue giving their best efforts. He emphasised on the need of ‘having love, care and concern for the students,’ the updates stated. Until the teacher becomes the motivator for the students, he said, that teacher is failing in his duties.
Lichamo requested the teachers to be punctual and regular in their duties as students will always follow their footsteps. To the students, he advised them to be obedient, God-fearing and not to have pride, ego and arrogance as such traits will only bring failure in their lives.
In honour of teachers, a combined Teacher’s Day programme was conducted on the 5th in the town hall of Peren.
At the event, the special guest of the programme, subdivision officer (civil) Rahul Mali said teachers are the true builders and shapers of the society. He appealed to the teachers to rededicate to their work to become conscience keepers of the society.
Students from various schools performed various exciting activities and stage performances. A special prayer for teachers was delivered by pastor Haiku Nza, PTBC.
Kiphire district also observed Teachers’ Day at the Hopongkyu Memorial Hall in the district headquarter with Deputy Commissioner Sarita Yadav as the guest of honour, the IPR reported.
In her address, Yadav recalled spoke about the positive impact she had from her teachers when she was a student. She advised the teachers to ‘keep updated with the students in different fields not only focussing in the class room so that the environment and the sentiment of the school will always be in a positive stand.’
The deputy commissioner said Teachers’ Day is a special day during which teachers are appreciated. The tradition started in 1962 when Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrisnan was born, she said.
During the event, the Kiphire district teachers’ award for 2019 was also given to a number of teachers. Students from various schools took part in entertainment activities of the programme, the IPR stated.
Likewise, Mon district celebrated its teachers in the council hall of Mon town with additional deputy commissioner Hiazu Meru as the guest of honour. In his address, the official attributed the success of his life to his teachers. He congratulated teachers in Mon district who won awards.
‘Teaching is a noble profession with a lot of responsibilities,’ Meru said. He urged the people to ‘retrospect and introspect their profession and the kind of work that everyone is associated with,’ the IPR stated.
On the rate of literacy and the students’ pass percentage in Mon, he said the district is ‘still tailing at the lowest amongst all the districts in Nagaland,’ according to the IPR report.
Highlighting the problem of proxy teachers in Nagaland, Meru urged the teachers to take their responsibilities seriously and do justice to their service. He was stated to have requested the people to take the challenge to come up with a ‘good functional and prestigious govt. school in the district.’
The officer also talked about the importance of innovation and ‘how with time the receptive value of students may degrade,’ the IPR explained. ‘It is important for teachers to use their creativity and constantly come up with new methods and innovation for teaching.’
Meru suggested creating an ‘innovative cell’ in the offices of the district education establishments to ‘monitor and document any innovative ideas’ that have been implemented in various schools of Mon district.
Tuensang also celebrated Teachers’ Day in the government higher secondary school’s auditorium with an event that was organised by the Confederation of Chang Students’ Union. Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Ali Shahib was the chief guest of the event.
Speaking at the event, the chief guest said “Education is reformatory and expansive process which seeks to unfold all that is good and noble to individual and true knowledge is what brings enlightenment and self-realisation.”
Teachers are the most crucial mediums through which the purpose of education can be realised, he told the gathering.
Shahib urged the gathering to reiterate and be reminded about the responsibility that has been entrusted to those in the ‘noble profession.’ Besides the dissemination of factual, scientific, creative and literary knowledge and art, teachers played a pivotal role in shaping the value system, he said. Thus, he said, it shapes the character of the individual.
Shahib urged the teachers to continue to strive with the best of their abilities to inspire hope, ignite imagination and instil a love for learning, the IPR stated.
The deputy commissioner was also of the view that the menace of ‘proxy teachers’ and rampant absenteeism create more problems in addition to various issues such as shortage of teachers, lack of proper infrastructure, and issues of encroachment etc.
The officer challenged the teaching community to inspire and ignite minds towards learning and creativity, the IPR stated.
Cultural troupes and groups entertained the gathering with folk performances. 17 teachers were awarded with the district teachers’ awards for 2019, the IPR stated.
In Wokha district, a Teacher’s Day programme was conducted in the Tiyi hall in Wokha with subdivision officer (civil) Ajit Kumar Verma as the special guest of the event.
In his address, Verma acknowledged the responsibility of teachers. He said, ‘The role of a teacher is a very crucial task because all teachers who are serving in different parts of the country or world knows that their role very herculean as they are assigned with the responsibility of shaping and nurturing the personality of a child to make them a responsible citizen and productive member of the society.
There is lot of professions but teaching is one that can help the child build his personality and thus create a brighter future, the officer told the gathering.
‘If you trust your teacher, obey and respect your teacher you can do anything in life because the manners, ethical and good behaviour implanted in you will make you a great human being,’ Verma said.
The assistant district education officer of Wokha Zubeno Lotha highlighted the significance of Teacher’s Day. She said it is a day to acknowledge the service of teachers for their sacrifice in educating the child to make him a responsible citizen, the IPR stated.
Lotha called the task of a teacher ‘very challenging one at the same time a very responsible and risky business because they (teachers) are the one who deal with different type of child who are different from others and this risky task can only be done or solved by the teachers.’
“They inculcate in the young minds the sense of discipline, equality, peace, justice and service to mankind who will be future of tomorrow and lauded the efforts of the teachers are putting in for a better tomorrow,” the updates stated.
On the recommendation of the district level education committee for state or district awards for the year 2019, a number of teachers in Wokha were felicitated, the IPR added.
The minister for Higher & Technical Education and Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along Longkumer has said that the dreams of the young Naga to live in an ‘inclusive society with a robust culture and tradition, and strong faith in the dignity of labour to build a strong economy lies in the hands of teachers.’
The minister was addressing the 58th Teachers’ Day celebrations on Thursday in Mokokchung. The event was organised by the Ao Students’ Conference in the town hall of Mokokchung. Hundreds of teachers and students from various schools across Mokokchung attended the event.
“The young Nagas have a dream to build a sustainable and robust economy and become givers not receivers with the resources available in the state,” Longkumer said.
He expressed belief that the future of the people shall be determined by the economy of the state and the economy can become a robust economy only if the people are hard-working. The minister opined that building a robust economy does not mean ‘begging for more money from Delhi.’
Rather, he said, it should be through hard work and dedicating to entrepreneurship and establishing a ‘strong livelihood.’
In this connection, the minister said the greatest task towards an economically robust society depends on teachers only if they dedicate their time to educate the students not only with bookish knowledge but also with their approach to life and cultivating the attitude of hard work for people to stand strong. He urged the teachers to rededicate to their service for the future of the people ‘because the future of the land lies in their hand.’
“You are the gurus of the students who can impart and influences the students much more then their parents,” Longkumer told the teachers. He advised them to not indulge in ‘proxy culture’ and asked them to do away with the attitude of not wanting to serve in the interior areas.
On the matter of introducing a ‘cultural dress code’ in govt. colleges, Longkumer talked about the idea of ‘cultural dress code,’ respective tribal traditional attires, in all government colleges every Wednesday. He maintained that objective was not only about protecting and promoting Naga culture and traditions but also instilling a sense of pride in own culture among the students. He claimed it will ‘help us to revive the village cottage industries of the tribal traditional clothes and design as well as give new design and cloths for the Naga people.’
Also, he said, it is the duty of the educational institutions to teach students about their traditions and culture.
During the programme the minister gave away the district teachers’ awards and EFoM awards at the event.
Members of Model higher secondary school, Blossoms preschool, Cannan Christian higher secondary school and Straightway higher secondary school participated in the programme too.