Restore Teacher's respect - Sibal urges UNESCO

Updated on: Friday, October 09, 2009

Paris: HRD minister, Kapil Sibal has called upon UNESCO to commence a world-wide campaign to restore the respect of a Teacher in society.

Giving the keynote address at the first ministerial plenary forum at the 35th UNESCO General Conference in Paris today, he said that it would be in the fitness of things if we all take up a 'Teachers First Campaign' aimed at restoring respect for this noble profession.

He said, 'To meet the requirements of EFA and to provide secondary and vocational training to the youth, we require millions of teachers. The young may be hungry for learning, but we may not have quality teachers to ignite their minds. The social order must respect teachers who all play a pivotal role in building a peaceful and just society.'

Sibal urged UNESCO to start a global campaign leveraging scientific knowledge for societal benefit on the lines of India's 'Science for Equity Empowerment and Development (SEED)' programme.

This programme seeks to provide opportunities to motivated scientists and field level workers, to take up action oriented and location specific projects aiming at socio-economic upliftment of the poor and disadvantaged sections, through appropriate science and technology interventions especially in the rural areas.

Adding that India has made major progress in ICT and has also developed e-learning materials, Shri Sibal offered to share this knowledge with the world community.

The HRD Minister underlined that education, particularly higher education, must inculcate the values of sustainable development in the minds of the youth.

He said, 'While planet earth has provided an average per capita footprint of 1.76 Hc, developed countries have been using a footprint much beyond the above per capita entitlement. It is ironic that both in the past and currently the developed world, with higher human development indexes, had and have unsustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns. Education instead of becoming an instrument of sustainable development, has become a major cause for unsustainable lifestyles.
If developing countries adopt and imitate Western styles of production and consumption, it is estimated that we would need four times the resources planet earth provides by the year 2055 to sustain us. It is, therefore, imperative that developing countries adopt, and adapt to, sustainable lifestyles, as they implement their development strategies. Meanwhile, developed countries will have to reduce their carbon footprint while ushering more sustainable life styles.'

Sibal emphasised that Mahatma Gandhi's messages of non-violence assume relevance even in the area of sustainable development.

He thanked UNESCO and the Director-General, Mr. Matsuura for their interest in India's proposal to set up the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development as a Category - I Institute of UNESCO in India.

He expressed the hope that the proposal would be approved by the General Conference of UNESCO, for the Institute to spread the message that unsustainable development will breed conflict and that sustainable development is a necessary pre-requisite for peace.

The minister stated that a significant initiative reflecting the political commitment of the Government of India to universalize 8 years of schooling, has recently been translated into action by making elementary education a fundamental right of every child in India.

He also pointed out that during 2000-06, South Asia made the most progress in gender parity. He mentioned that the number of girls per 100 boys enrolled in primary schools increased from 84 in 2000 to 95 in 2006 in South Asia (a reduction of 69% in the gender equity deficit); 88 to 91 in Western Asia (a reduction of a quarter of the deficit); and 85 to 89 in Sub-Saharan Africa (27% reduction in gender equity deficit). Steady progress in participation in primary education across the globe keeps the hope alive for achieving universal primary education, a pre-condition for improving gender equity in secondary education, he added.

Sibal stated that universalisation of secondary education and significant expansion of higher education is priority areas for implementation, for the country.

'Plans have been delineated and goals set for growth of high end scientific and technical institutions alongside vocational training to equip the country's youth to meet the challenges of a globally competitive environment

Restore Teacher's respect - Sibal urges UNESCO

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