The famous poet, Sant Kabir Das, spoke highly of teachers and put them on a pedestal higher than God himself. He said, ‘Guru Govind dau khare, kake laagun paaye, balihari ho Gurudeo ki, jo Govindiyo bataye’ (‘If both God and a Guru (teacher) were to come before you, you should touch the feet of your Guru, since it is he who shows you to the path of God’). For years now, Haryana has maintained the tradition of rewarding teachers for the contribution they make towards educating society and building a nation. Every year the State identifies a number of enterprising and dedicated ‘Gurus’ and rewards them for their distinguished service to education - which includes academics as well as physical training. The State believes that both these aspects together help turn students into valuable human beings and responsible citizens. The awards consist of a silver medal, a citation and a cash component of Rs. 21,000. These awards have also encouraged teachers to always give their best. For 2013, the top State honours went to three teachers: Manoj Kaushik, Ashok Kumar Yadav and Rajinder Singh, for their contribution to learning. While Kaushik was recognised for his excellence as a lecturer in Physics, Yadav was awarded for English Language, and Singh, for being the best (among Higher Secondary Senior Schools) Sports Trainer in the State.
State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), through its eight different departments, fulfills various needs and requirements in the field of education. The Council aims to acquaint teachers with innovations in education through continuous training sessions, workshops and other measures. The Director of SCERT, Sneh Lata, said, “It was really a proud moment for all of us when Kaushik and Yadav were awarded by the Haryana Government. All our workers in SCERT are very good, but they both had been exceptional.” The selection of teachers is based on the ACRs (Annual Education Reports). The work of the teachers is closely monitored by the respective school, district and state administrations. The ACR does not only take into consideration their teaching techniques, but also their commitment to society, to humanitarian causes as well as the environment. Helping NGOs in community development and literacy programmes also adds to the points - as does election duty. The nominees should be well behaved and maintain proper social and civil duties. Rajinder Singh, PTI, G.M.S.S.S, said he was overwhelmed by the respect shown to him by the government of Haryana. “We will try to produce not only the best students, but also great sportspersons, who can win laurels for the State and the country,” he said. The award also recognised his civil duty to sports. Manoj Kaushik, Lecturer, Physics, SCERT, said, “Project based learning programs are held here for the development of the students. We also train teachers to adapt to modern methods, which makes learning a more interesting exercise.” The teachers also organise exhibitions in schools. “We look after the projects that are held at the district level. We organise, popularize and also help in raising sufficient funds to make these programmes viable.” SCERT is playing a very significant role in the State, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, who received the award for emerging as the most competent English language teacher in the State. He has moved from being a Science teacher to an English lecturer, and has 32 years of experience. "The motto of SCERT is to ensure quality education for students and to raise the level of teaching though comprehensive teachers’ training programmes. I feel that education in Haryana should be much more focused on the English language and we are doing our best to accomplish this. New methods and technologies are being adapted for ensuring a better learning proocess. After all, our students are the future of the nation.” Manoj Kaushik is in the profession for the last 19 years. His wife teaches at Amity International and they (along with their 2 daughters) live in Gurgaon. Kaushik is delighted with the recognition and believes that this will really ‘pump him up’ to do even better in future.
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