India Celebrates Teachers Day with National Awards and State Initiatives

India celebrated Teachers Day on September 5 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Teachers Awards at Vigyan Bhawan to 82 educators, including school teachers, higher education faculty, and skill trainers. In her address and a separate article, the President described teachers as frontline nation builders and urged them to foster a scientific outlook and a nation first spirit among students. She emphasized the special responsibility of educators toward disadvantaged students and children with special needs.

State governments introduced various measures and messages during the celebrations. In Karnataka, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that teachers may use the prefix Tr before their names as a mark of respect. Meanwhile, Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah stated that while AI can provide information, it cannot replace the role of teachers in shaping character and values. In Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein highlighted the role of teachers in encouraging independent thinking.

Some state leaders used the occasion to address labor and social issues. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appealed to teachers to avoid protests and requested two years to resolve their grievances based on available financial resources. In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urged students to stay off social media and focus on their careers. He also announced plans to appoint 45,000 teachers to address vacancies. However, reports from center leaning sources noted that hundreds of Odisha teachers continued protests over demands including pension facilities and pay scales, while the state government cancelled the Chief Minister's education award programme without providing a reason.