Viksit Bharat @2047: The Role of Teachers in Building the India of Tomorrow

Viksit Bharat @2047 The Role of Teachers in Building the India of Tomorrow

“In the Amrit period of Independence, we are marching ahead rapidly to create a transparent system, efficient process, and smooth governance to make development all-round and all-inclusive. The Government is committed to strengthening good governance, that is pro-people and pro-active governance. Guided by the ‘citizen first’ approach, we remain untiring in our efforts to further deepen the outreach of our service delivery mechanisms and make them more effective.” (P.M. Narendra Modi)

Viksit Bharat @2047 is the vision that comprehends multifaceted aspects of development, especially incorporating economic growth, educational improvement, ecological equilibrium, social equality, and effective governance to make India a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of independence. However, the procedure of transmuting this vision into action in a more practical way within the time span is the necessity of the day. Though there are several factors responsible for making it happen, the most important and central factor is ‘learning’, among others. And to create efficient learners, to facilitate them with essential tools for technology, we only require efficient teachers. The role of teachers in building the India of tomorrow by changing the India of today is nothing but the respiratory system of our country. By teachers, I do mean educators, mentors, trainers, skill developers, parents, grandparents, writers who, by all means, try to educate the present as well as future generation directly or indirectly to make the society grow constructively in a better way. Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation. (John. F. Kennedy)

Teacher, indeed, a role model who can transfigure one nation’s destiny by transforming its people in an affirmative and progressive manner. It is said that a teacher is a friend, philosopher, and guide; who, like a friend, supports and helps us in every aspect of life, like a philosopher encourages us to be both logical also ethical by imparting wisdom, and like a guide enables to empowers the mind to accept challenges by escalating one’s potential. Moreover, the fundamental foundation of the future generation of a country purely depends upon teachers, as they have the ability to shape the characters and sharpen the minds of children.

The Role of Teachers in Building the India of Tomorrow

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” (Albert Einstein) Indeed, a teacher is the architect who can build the ‘Konark of knowledge’ from the ‘illimitability of illiteracy’. Here, the question arises how it is related to the present scenario of our country and how it is beneficial to achieve our goal of Viksit Bharat @2047. It has a direct relation with the citizens as well as the future citizens of India. Our country, therefore, requires more efficient, experienced, and learned persons to overcome the challenges in the path of developing into a developed India. And to make such efficient, experienced, and learned people, we need teachers, the true transformers. As we know, there are several challenges from the perspectives of economy to education to health, to ecology; accordingly, we should prepare our human resources to an extent of self-reliance for triumphing over all these aforesaid obstacles. Moreover, this preparation for escalating the efficacy of human resources should be initiated from childhood and from home. There are several stages of child development from toddlerhood to adulthood. In the first and second stages of early childhood, they develop a sense of individuality, autonomy, and creativity by trying to explore the family, along with the outer world. This is the crucial time where parents, the first teacher of a child, can assist his/her to be self-sufficient in terms of learning walking, talking, expressing their own feelings, and exploring the natural world. Likewise, in other stages of development such as in middle childhood, children develop logical intelligence and cognitive thinking where both parents and teachers can mentor them to be self-reliant and creative in terms of doing own work, helping in house hold chores, taking a walk in nature etc. to cultivate a thread of responsive attachment with family, friends, teachers, also with natural environment. This process should be continued till adulthood by guiding the children to cultivate intellectuality and selflessness.

“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” (Dan Rather)

As the future generation, children play the most significant role in the progress of a country. If we talk about India, as per the data of UNICEF, near about 40% of our population is children under 18 years of age. It is, therefore, essential to make the future of India efficient and self-sufficient. To make it possible, we need rational and responsible teachers in the forms of parents, mentors, educators, trainers, skill developers, and authors, too. When parents or grandparents tell moral and ethical fables, folklores, stories, etc. to their children or grandchildren, encourage them to read ecological stories, explore the natural surroundings, and these make a drastic difference in the character of children. Additionally, through the implementation of NEP 2020 in schools, teachers can teach in a more practical way. From altering rote learning to creative and reflective learning, applying practical life-oriented solutions, and intensifying the skill development ability through introducing vocational courses can be a gateway to make India of tomorrow self-reliant and independent in a real sense.

The Way Forward

The government’s vision for Viksit Bharat, as stated by the finance minister in her Budget Speech, is that of “Prosperous Bharat in harmony with nature, with modern infrastructure, and providing opportunities for all citizens and all regions to reach their potential.” (Mukul Asher)

We are envisioning a developed but ethically strong nation where we can create a green industrialization, can make an advanced health and education system without compromising the moral values, and can empower all the citizens by increasing their potential and meet their expectations simultaneously through effective and good governance. The vision for Viksit Bharat @2047 in the centenary of independence is nothing but a way of people centric living by accomplishing the democracy in a true sense where the people will be independent in a real sense — an independent and prosperous economy — an independent and advanced health sector — an independent and improved education system — an independent and balanced environment — an independent and self-reliant nation. This can be achieved only through learning the ways of developing own insight and intuition through the development of one’s own intellectuality, and this can be only complemented by none other than a true teacher. It is correct to say, “... a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” (John Steinbeck)