Gen Rodrigues presents Tara Chand Saboo Award to four teachers

Chandigarh, Oct 20 (UNI) Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen (Retd) S F Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, today presented Tara Chand Saboo Excellence Awards in School Teaching to four outstanding teachers for their immense contribution in the field of education in the tricity.

Mr Harold Carver, Principal St Stephen's School, Sector 45, Chandigarh was presented with Excellence Award for Life Time Achievement which carried a trophy, citation and cash award of Rs 50,000. Ms Sarita Tewari, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, Chandgiarh received the Excellence Award for School Teaching (Secondary Classes), Ms Apra Sud, Vivek High school, Chandigarh got the Excellence Award for School teaching (Primary Classes) and Mr Zulfiqar Khan, Theatre Age (Ashiana), Government High School, Sector 24, Chandigarh was presented with Excellence Award for teaching economically underprivileged children. All the three awards carried a trophy, citation and cash award of Rs 20,000 each.

Speaking on the occasion, Gen Rodrigues strongly advocated the need for restructuring the syllabus of academic and technical education in universities, colleges and schools, for making the teaching process more meaningful and purposeful.

"It is time for us to reorient our existing education programmes and policies to mould the attitudes of our students to be more concerned and responsive to the needs of our nation and society at large," he said.

"We have a huge talent, potential and resources and our teachers and retired people from different services must play a pro-active role to create and contribute programmes for making our people, especially the disadvantaged, equal partners in our socio-economic development process." Expressing his serious concern over the deteriorating health status of children with deficiencies of mal-nutrition, anemia and other problems, General Rodrigues said, "A survey conducted under health check programmes in Union Territory, revealed alarming figures of children suffering from these ailments and there is a need for more effective steps to further give a fillip to school health programmes." UNI