Governor Draupadi Murmu today felicitated 31 government school teachers for introducing innovative teaching-learning methods to improve the quality of education in the State.The teachers were given certificates and shawls in recognition of their efforts that were brought to light by Sri Aurobindo Society through its Zero Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI) programme across the state.
“ZIIEI is a movement with a very progressive vision. Teachers are the leaders and they will have to take the lead to make education reach each and everyone in the state,” the Governor said.
She said that education even today has not reached everyone due to financial and social challenges, and these teachers can help spread knowledge to those who are not fortunate enough to send their children to school.
“Education should not only be dependent upon percentage but it should also lead to the all round development of children. Teachers are the nation builders. They instil values in children and make them responsible human beings,” she added.
“I had never thought that a simple idea that I have been using in my class would be recognised at such a level. It is the first time that teachers are being honoured for their skills, otherwise this kind of recognition was very rare for the teaching fraternity,” said Shib Shankar Polai, a teacher at the Upgraded Middle School, Khejuria in East Singhbhum district.
Polai was honoured for his innovation to check absenteeism in his school by appreciating the parents whose wards attend the school regularly. This way parents start taking interest in their children’s education and encourage them to attend school regularly, improving their academic results.
Echoing the similar views, teacher Ravindra Prasad Rai of Government Middle School of Hathigarh block in Sahebganj district, said that the face of education could drastically change in the state if initiatives like ZIIEI are promoted in the state.
Rai has introduced the idea of a complaint box in his school, where students are encouraged to report good or bad incidents happening around them inside or outside the school by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them in the box. The teacher and the school authorities then take action accordingly.
Through this method, students become aware of their surroundings and try to find context-relevant solutions to problems affecting the quality of education. Children also gradually develop a sense of responsibility.
The ideas were submitted by teachers during ZIIEI orientation sessions in the state in 2017. Nearly 12,000 teachers shared grassroot innovations that they have been using, which underwent a screening and selection process to identify the most effective ones for featuring in the Navachar Pustika.
