Dr Kalam administers 11-point oath to school principals
Nation building with moral leadership is
the mission for Principals: Dr Kalam
* Principals Educational Conference-2013 concludes with thought-provoking and inspiring speech of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam
* The researcher-innovator par excellence asks teachers to allow students generate questions
* Educators must exercise moral leadership in schools, says Bharat Ratna recipient and former President of India
Staff Reporter
What is erudition? What is virtue of goodness and purity of life? How do
these values look like if they were to exist in a physical form?
Thursday late afternoon brought answers to these questions, with ‘Bharat
Ratna’ Dr A P J Abdul Kalam arriving at Chitnavis Centre here for
valedictory function of Principals’ Educational Conference-2013.
The man of vision and action, brought with him the purity of thought.
The message he wanted to deliver was clear and simple. The topic for his
talk itself was a message ‘Nation Building with Moral Leadership:
Mission for the Principals’. He appealed the principals -- whom he
called ‘teachers of teachers’ -- to be a good teacher, a good thinking
individual, a good human being, and a good moral leader to inculcate
these values in students to build a strong future leadership that will
build nation.
 |
| Dr A P J Abdul Kalam lights the traditional lamp to mark inauguration of the valedictory function of Principals Educational Conference-2013 in Nagpur. Also seen are Vijay Phanshikar, Editor of 'The Hitavada' and Principal Advisor of the conference; Dr Mrunalini Dasture and others. (Pics by Satish Raut) |
How much respect does Dr Kalam command could be sensed by a standing
ovation given by the audience on his arrival at the venue. On his
arrival, Mayor Prof Anil Sole and Convenor of the Principals’
Educational Conference (PEC) Dr Mrunalini Dasture welcomed him. On the
dais, Dr Kalam first garlanded the idol of Goddess Saraswati and then
lighted traditional lamp to mark formal beginning of valedictory
function of three-day PEC-2013 organised by South Point School. Chairman
of Desh Gaurav Social and Educational Society Dinanath Dasture,
Principal Advisor of PEC and Editor of ‘The Hitavada’ Vijay Phanshikar,
Dr Mrunalini Dasture, Prof Anil Sole, Co-Convenor Rasika Dasture, and
Managing Director of Sunbeam-Nobel Publishers Rajesh Ghai also shared
the dais on this occasion.
The former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, who has interacted
with 16 million children and millions of teachers in last decade,
recalled his teachers Siva Subramaniam Iyer, Prof Thothatri Iyengar and
others, and said that teachers like them radiated knowledge and purity
of life. “Once that is learnt, syllabus is over. There is nothing more
to learn,” he said. The gathering of principals from different states of
India as well as from Singapore, could sense that there was a great
thought behind every small sentence he spoke. As his speech progressed,
the awe and respect for him in the audience multiplied collectively. The
result was very obvious -- whatever he spoke percolated deeply into the
hearts and minds of the gathering of educators. What else is
inspiration but sincere words igniting commitment to action in right
direction?
Commenting on the aspirations of the youth today, Dr Kalam said that the
voice of the youth was unique and strong in articulating their vision
and dream and they were willing to work for it. “Everyone dreams of
living in a prosperous, happy, peaceful, and safe India. The combination
of prosperity, happiness, and peace always have to come together. When
all three of them converge, India will truly be a developed nation,” he
observed. Highlighting the role of teachers in shaping the children he
said that teachers themselves should be role models for students.
Erudition lies in explaining complex things in a simple manner that will
touch the heart. Dr Kalam masters this art. He said that everyone goes
through four stages in life -- child, teenager, adult, and leader. A
child asks what could one do for him/her, teenager says that he wants to
do a particular thing alone, an adult wants to do a thing together, and
a leader asks what could he/she do for others. “This transformation
from ‘what can you do for me?’ to ‘what can I do for you?’ is
transformation of a child into a leader. Here, Principals have got a
tremendous role to play,” he said. To effect this transformation in a
child, a Principal has to be a visionary with a capacity to inspire.
Touching to the theme of the conference ‘Back to Black Board’ that
relates to going beyond the brief and rediscovering the basics of
education, the celebrated scientist and thinker said that thinking
should become one’s capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs one
comes across in life. “Thinking is progress. Non-thinking is stagnation
to the individual, organisation, and the country. Thinking leads to
action. Knowledge without action is useless and irrelevant. Knowledge
with action brings prosperity,” he said.
The ‘Missile Man of India’ also asked the educators to exercise moral
leadership if schools and educational institutions had to meet the
challenge of the 21st Century. He appealed to them to develop a vision
of an educational environment in which students can grow more autonomous
through the very act and process of learning.
On this occasion, Mayor felicitated Dr Kalam with shawl and memento on
behalf of the city of Nagpur. Dr Mrunalini Dasture presented the
scientist-poet with a beautiful collage-portrait of over a 1,000 small
photographs of Dr Kalam arranged together to form his large image on
canvas. The portrait was prepared by Pratim Sharma. Dr Dasture also
presented a memento on behalf of PEC to Dr Kalam.
Earlier, Dr Rajiv Mohta introduced Dr Kalam. Principal of Jain
International School Anmol Badjatia compered the proceedings gracefully
while Rasika Dasture proposed a vote of thanks. Students of M S B
Educational Institute made a wonderful presentation with the band, and
teachers of South Point School presented a welcome song as well as
‘Saraswati Vandana’. The programme concluded with national anthem.
‘Encourage spirit of inquiry in students’
Dr A P J Abdul
Kalam urged the teachers to teach in a manner that would put the
students decades ahead. To put the students ahead, students should be
encouraged to generate questions. “Every question is important. Do not
nullify questions of students. Allow them to generate questions,” he
said while sharing an anecdote from the life of Sir C V Raman. He
stressed that certain capacities should be built in students. These
include capacity for research or inquiry, creativity and innovation
particularly the creative transfer of knowledge, capacity to use high
technology, capacity for entrepreneurial leadership, and the capacity
for moral leadership.
‘Righteousness in heart brings peace in world’
Making the
teachers realise their vital role in nation-building through moral
leadership, he said that righteousness was one virtue that brought peace
in the world. To etch that point on the collective psyche, Dr Kalam
shared a spiritual hymn with them and asked them to repeat after him.
“Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in
character; When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in
the home; When there is harmony in the home, there is an order in the
nation; When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world,”
he said.
All the teachers and principals followed him in one voice and changed
the quality of atmosphere from being a valedictory function of a
conclave to a beginning of a new chapter in education.
11-point oath for teachers
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