Copy of the speech by
Mrs. Tseringkee Denzongpa (Principal, Singtam S.S.School, East Sikkim) at CHINTAN BHAWAN,Gangtok on Teachers Day-05.09.2010
Honourable Chief Minister Of Sikkim, Dr. Pawan Chamling, Honourable Minister For Human Resource Development Department & Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. Of Sikkim, Mr. N.K. Pradhan, Respected Secretary H.R.D.D. Mr. R. Telang, officers of The Department, all school heads, Teachers and everyone else present here today.
It is an honour to be present here today and represent the Association of Heads of Govt. Sec. and Sr. Sec .schools of Sikkim. Since April 2003, a group of head masters and head Mistresses of secondary school began to get together to discuss about various issues related with school and their heads.
It is believed that Teaching is a Noble Profession, but in order to make this profession a noble one, we, teachers, need to be Noble in our Thoughts and Deeds as well.
Now the Education scenario in our country has changed. It is taking a giant leap with the introduction of the concept of CONTINUOUS and COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION. We welcome this move of the Ministry Of Human Resource Development and the Central Board of Secondary Education, if it is going to bring about improvement in our children. It seems to be a very promising, enriching and self evaluating method. This C.C.E., we feel, is not only for our students but for teachers and school Heads, as well. This system of Education aims at overall development of a child, for which WE need to be well equipped. We need to do our HOME WORK---- Teachers need to prepare themselves, be informed and be vigilant round the clock. Remember, we are dealing with the children of the 21st Century, The Age of Science and Information Technology. WE need to update and upgrade ourselves.
Of course, for the first few years, we are likely to encounter some minor problems during the implementation of C.C.E. but those are only “TEETHING PROBLEMS”, which will go as we grow in this area of Education. The concept of C.C.E. is very good. In fact, if we want to, we can work wonders with our children, trace out the talents in them, equip them, guide them and harness them. This is how we make our children SELF-Reliant. If we can’t make everyone Doctors, Engineers and Astronauts, we can make a few Kiran Bedis , M.F. Hussains and a few Bhaichung Bhutias.
Today we are worried about the policy of “No Detention”--- which has become a significant feature of the Right to Education Act, 2009. The fact is, if this system of C.C.E. is implemented with all the necessary inputs from the Department and Schools, right from standard I –XII, a time will come when we don’t have to worry about “Repeaters or Failures”.
Therefore, in this August gathering, I call upon all my fellow School heads and Teachers to put our hands, Heads and Hearts together for successful implementation of C.C.E. If we can do this, The Dream of our Honourable Chief Minister, of having Quality Education will certainly come true very soon. Sir, we are ready to work to pursue your Dream of Quality Education, creating a Self- sufficient, self – reliant and successful 100% literate Sikkim. Sikkim is the only state in our country where 20% of the budget is earmarked for Education. You have done so much for us Sir and so, we Re-Dedicate ourselves for your Mission, Vision and Goal for a better and secure Sikkim.
Today, on behalf of our Association , I take this opportunity to thank the State Govt. for providing us with such a Dynamic, intelligent, empathetic Secretary in the Department. We feel privileged to have Mr. R. Telang, as our Secretary. Under your able guidance and leadership, we are heading towards the right direction to achieve Quality Education and create a major shift in the education system. In the last one year, we have had several interactions with him. The more we interact with him, the more information and ideas we get from him, to help us in improving our schools. We have found him to be bountiful of knowledge and enthusiasm. You not only give us a patient hearing but take prompt action too. Sir, you are our source of inspiration. We hope to get more knowledge and Motivation from you in the days to come.
I would be failing my responsibility if I do not mention a very important issue here today. We are very grateful to the Govt. for providing us with the opportunity of promotion in the Department. Gazette Notification No. 127/GEN/DOP dated 24/11/2008 enables the eligible individuals from the Schools to get promotion and serve in different capacities in the Department. This Notification holds a different meaning and Hope for, especially younger and junior members of this fraternity, like us. We feel rejuvenated and energised to work for the school in general and the cause of Education in particular. It is because this Notification has made our future more secure and bright. This Notification would not have been possible without the timely intervention of our Honourable Chief Minister. We are extremely grateful to you Sir. We also acknowledge the efforts put forth by our former Secretary HRDD Mr. K.T. Chankapa for the successful implementation of the said Notification.
I would like to congratulate all the Award winners of 2010. It is very heartening to see that your hard work and dedication is being acknowledged and appreciated. May you all be successful in your future endeavours too. May you be a guiding star and a mentor to your fellow members of our teaching fraternity. We are grateful to the State Government for presenting such awards to our teachers and School Heads, as this gives us a lot of aspirations and encouragement to do better and to do more. I am sure that all of you present here, will agree with me when I say that the teachers, students and the School Head forms an integral part of the School, but a School cannot function in isolation. The H.R.D.D. is the better half of the School, or vice versa. Likewise, the H.R.D.D. also cannot function alone. It is incomplete without the school. So we need to work hand-in-glove and coordinate our actions and thoughts too.
We must all work together on an impending issue which needs our immediate attention. Yes, we are talking about the Drop-out Rate of students in our state. We are aware of the facts and myths behind these figures. All of us present here today, are responsible in one way or the other. Instead of playing the “BLAME GAME”, we should concentrate on reducing these figures. We need to prepare our strategies to curb this menace.
Therefore, let’s all join hands in making an illuminated and well educated Sikkim, because
EDUCATION IS A SOCIAL PROCESS.
EDUCATION IS GROWTH.
EDUCATION IS, NOT A PREPARATION FOR LIFE;
EDUCATION IS LIFE ITSELF.
THANK YOU.
