PM Modi Urges Teachers to Go Beyond Textbooks and Help Shape Students’ Lives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged teachers to look beyond textbooks and syllabi, stressing that they have a much larger role to play in shaping students’ lives and protecting their childhood. Addressing the National Teachers’ Day Award winners in New Delhi, PM Modi said teachers should become an integral part of their students’ lives. He emphasised that keeping the “child within” every student alive requires teachers to nurture their own sense of curiosity and childhood as well.

The Prime Minister raised concerns over excessive screen time among children and encouraged teachers and parents to promote sports, outdoor activities and creative pursuits to help reduce screen addiction. He also highlighted the need for greater awareness about breast cancer and drug abuse. PM Modi noted that more women are voluntarily coming forward for health check-ups, indicating increasing health awareness, while stressing that children need continuous guidance to protect them from substance abuse.

Referring to the National Education Policy, he called for greater exposure to practical learning by taking students beyond classrooms and helping them develop real-world skills and understand different forms of work. A total of 82 teachers and educators have been selected for this year’s National Teachers’ Awards. The awardees include 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 teachers and faculty members from higher educational institutions and polytechnics, and 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

During the interaction, the awardees shared their teaching experiences and innovative methods aimed at making classroom learning more engaging and effective. PM Modi said Teachers’ Day is an occasion to recognise the invaluable contribution of teachers to society and also to remember Bharat Ratna Dr S. Radhakrishnan, whose birth anniversary is observed as Teachers’ Day.