Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, today called upon schools to forge a strong moral character in children and inculcate the national values of oneness, harmony and universal brotherhood from a young age.
Naidu recalled that “our founding fathers envisioned an India that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, or even place of birth. Such inclusive and pluralistic values are what makes India a special nation among the comity of nations. Take a pledge to practice and protect these values against all odds”.
The Vice President was inaugurating the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Hyderabad Public School, Ramanthapur in Hyderabad. Complimenting the school on the milestone, he urged making ‘excellence’ the watchword in educational institutions. He advised schools to “take full advantage of the National Education Policy 2020” and foster an all-round growth and development of students – in intellectual, moral and creative terms.
Touching on the issue of use of mother tongue in schools, Shri Naidu expressed concern that some schools “look down upon the student’s mother tongue and encourage them to speak and learn exclusively in English”. He pointed out that “learning and freely communicating in one’s mother tongue not only improves the educational outcomes, but more importantly, boosts self-esteem and gives a sense of cultural belonging to the students”.
Referring to National Education Policy’s recommendations, the Vice President wanted a shift in the medium of instruction at the primary level to mother languages and to gradually extend this to higher levels too. “The importance of mother tongue in shaping our childrens’ personality and moulding their character cannot be overstated”, he stressed.
