Karnataka CM emphasizes importance of education in shaping future of society and country, urges for scientific and rational approach.
The purpose of education is not just to impart knowledge but the goal is also to make children ‘Vishwamanavas’ said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday.The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating Teacher’s Day celebrations organized jointly by the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education at the Banquet Hall, Vidhana Soudha as part of Bharat Ratna Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan’s birth anniversary and presented awards to 43 teachers.

He said that farmers, soldiers, and teachers are the pillars of an ideal society adding that they are the ones who shape the future of the society and the country.”If students do not develop scientific spirit and rationality and are full of superstition in their minds, they cannot be called well-educated only because they have degrees and doctorates. What is the need for such education if the degree holders become casteists,”, the CM added.

CM Siddaramaiah said that our Constitution provided an opportunity for education for all.

“The shudras and girls were kept out of education. Our constitution provided the opportunity for education to all. Now the Constitution is in danger. Therefore, the responsibility to protect the constitution is on all of us,” he said.

Further, he said, “Even after 76 years of independence, literacy has not reached 100 per cent. Those deprived of education will be the victims of inequality.”

He said that if the dream of our freedom fighters has to come true, everyone should get a scientific and rational education and the country should advance on the path of progress.All teachers have the same training while entering the teaching profession, he said while calling upon every teacher to question themselves as to why the result rate and educational quality of different districts are different. They should try to improve themselves, he added.

“After our government came to power, we appointed teachers for 10 thousand schools and many programmes were conducted. During our government, we started the programme of providing laptops to children of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It was stopped by the previous government. We have now continued to give laptops,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah added that in rural areas 80 per cent of the children in government schools come from the deprived classes in rural areas.

“We implemented ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ scheme to facilitate their education. Eggs are provided twice a week to students till SSLC. The government is providing shoes to the students under ‘Shoe Bhagya’ scheme,” he said. The programme was presided over by MLA Rizwan Arshad, School Education and Literacy Minister S. Madhu Bangarappa and Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar gave introductory remarks. MLAs, Legislative Council members and officials were present.