Teachers’ role do not diminish by advancements in technology: Venkaiah Naidu

Mysuru: The role of a teacher does not diminish with advancements in technology. The Guru (teacher) has got his own importance and inventions like Google or internet cannot replace him, said Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the construction of Dr S Radhakrishnan Auditorium on the campus of Regional Institute of Eduction here on Saturday.
The Vice President also stressed on the need to revamp the current education system. Teaching should be less textbook-centric. “We have to do away with the mechanical method of teaching and make classroom learning an enjoyable and interesting experience with real life examples to motivate young minds,” he said.
The goal of education should not be just to get employment, rather it should lead to enlightenment and empowerment. Morals, traditions and cultural heritage must become part of teaching. Teachers should give moral education to children by citing stories from puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and even from the Bible. The good must be taught to them from many scriptures, the Vice President said.
The national education policy, which is widely debated, will pave way for a resurgent education system in the country, he said. Meanwhile, citizens should be socially conscious and do their bit to the society instead of thinking that the government would do the work.
Excessive use of mobile phone will lead the students to only ‘hell’ and they must remember it. Students must use electronic gadgets and the internet only for productivity purposes or else it’s perilous for their development, he opined.
Of late, the students are seen hooked on to the internet and electronic gadgets. A sedentary lifestyle and obsession for Western food like pizza, burger and packed foods is bad for health. “Instant food is constant disease,” he said. He said that students should keep themselves fit with regular physical activities.
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‘Ragi Mudde, Nati Koli Sambar’
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who fluently spoke in four languages, including Kannada, recalled his three-and-half decades old memory of his visit to Mysuru.
When the NTR government was overthrown, he had come to Mysuru and stayed at Dasa Prakash hotel, a pure vegetarian hotel. He, however, enjoyed non-veg dish at RRR hotel nearby. The reference came while advising the younger generation to avoid Western food.
“India, a multi-cultural society, has a wide variety of food for every season and every region that have been tried and tested by our forefathers. For instance, in Karnataka, we have a variety of dishes Ragi Mudde (Ragi ball) and ‘nati koli sambar, idli, dosa and bisibele bath that is prepared and served hot,” he said.
The Vice President, who commenced his address in Kannada, drifted to English and delivered various anecdotes in Telugu and Hindi in between.