CHENNAI: Plans are afoot to make special efforts to improve the performance of Tamil Nadu students in national-level competitive exams so that more get into top institutes like IITs, said the newly appointed School Education Minister Ma Foi K Pandiarajan.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Teachers’ Day celebrations organised by the State, Pandiarajan said that the government was keen on helping educationally backward students. Steps would be taken to revive the old pension scheme which teachers here have been demanding of late, he said.
Responding to the State’s response to the draft New Education Policy proposed by the Centre, Pandiarajan said the Tamil Nadu government would not support any initiative which was against its people’s welfare.
In his insightful speech, Pandiarajan traced the contemporary challenges faced by teachers today with several changes happening in the education sector globally. With internet and e-learning reaching every nook and corner, the role of teachers was not going to be the same, he said, adding, “Teachers can no more command or demand respect as students, particularly those from higher secondary grade, would like you to be more friendly”.
“What should I do to reclaim the respect and dignity and the comparative status of teaching as a profession vis-a-vis other professions is something that I would like to leave behind you,” he added. At the function, 379 teachers working in government-funded schools were given ‘Best Teacher’ awards which included a cash prize of `10,000 and a certificate of appreciation.