National Teachers day is annually observed across India on 5th September to commemorate the birth anniversary of the respected teacher and prolific statesman Bharat Ratna awardee Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice president of India and the 2nd President of India. He was born on 5th September 1888 in Tiruttani, Madras Presidency (Now Tamil Nadu).
- The day recognises the contribution of the teachers to the development of society.
- National Teachers day is celebrated across schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions.
- The first-ever National Teachers Day was observed on 5th September 1962.
Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan:
i.Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan served as the first vice president of Independent India from 1952 to 1962 and later served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967.
ii.The government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1954 for public affairs.
President Ram Nath Kovind awarded National Teachers’ Award 2021:
On the occasion of National Teachers Day 2021, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, presented the National Teachers Awards 2021 to the 44 teachers who were selected from all over India.
- A documentary film on each of the 44 awardees was also shown at the online ceremony.
- The list of the 44 winners was released by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in August 2021.
Key People:
Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan; Ministers of State for Education Annpurna Devi, Subhas Sarkar and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh; Anita Karwal, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy(DOSEL), and Amit Khare, Secretary, Department of Higher Education participated in the event.
National Teachers Award:
i.The National Teachers Award was first instituted in 1958 to recognise the excellence and commitment of the teachers to shape the minds of the future generation.
ii.The awards recognise the efforts of teachers working in elementary and secondary schools.
Shikshak Parv 2021 5th to 17th September:
i.The National Teachers Day 2021, 5th September 2021, also marks the beginning of Shikshak Parv 2021, which will be celebrated till 17th September 2021 through virtual mode.
ii.The decision to celebrate the Shikshak Parv was made by the Department of School Education & Literacy(DOSEL), Ministry of Education(MoE) to recognise the contributions of teachers and take the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 a step forward.
iii.As a part of the Shikshak Parv, webinars, discussions and presentations will be organised till 17th September.
About Ministry of Education(MoE):
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State– Annpurna Devi (Kodarma- Jharkhand); Subhas Sarkar (Bankura- West Bengal); Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Inner Manipur- Manipur)
