The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon to people to take a pledge to preserve and promote their mother tongue. Stressing that there was a need to strengthen the campaign for preserving mother tongue, he urged upon State governments to make mother tongue mandatory up to primary school level.
Expressing his keen interest in protecting native languages, the Vice President advised students to speak in their mother tongue at home.
Shri Naidu while addressing the gathering at the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Kesari Schools, in Chennai today, he advised educational institutions to cultivate the quest for innovation and spirit of scientific thinking in children. He also laid foundation stone for construction of a new campus of Kesari School.
In order to make students become responsible citizenry, the Vice President tasked schools to create an atmosphere of joyful learning and revamp curriculum to teach students the stories of great freedom fighters and inculcate Indian values.
Observing that the 21st century world and the economic progress of a nation were increasingly becoming knowledge dependent, he insisted on training the changing aspects of technology right from the school level so that they adapt to the changing scenario.
Opining that being just literate should not be the aim of education, the Vice President said that real education must allow an individual to seek the truth, knowledge and develop logical thinking and a bent to understand and be sensitive to the needs of others.
Pointing out that education must help in transforming the lives of the poor, suppressed, and unreached and the marginalized sections of society, the Vice President opined that education was the most potent way to address challenges such as poverty, gender inequality, unemployment, discrimination, caste, and economic disparities.
Opining that women who constitute 50% of the population must be given equal opportunities, the Vice President said that educating the girl child and educating women was essential to India’s growth. He called upon people to make campaigns such as Educating the Girl Child must become peoples movements.
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Jagadguru Vijayendra Saraswathi, the Chairman, KENCES Group of Companies, Shri K. Narsa Reddy, the Headmaster of Kesari Higher Secondary School, Shri N. Gopalaiah, the Grandson of late Dr. K.N. Kesari, Dr. K. Radhakrishnan and several other dignitaries were present at the venue
