KOLKATA: The Bengal government on Sunday felicitated 61 teachers with its Shiksha Ratna Samman on the occasion of Teachers Day.
The award is given in recognition to the outstanding service and contribution in the field of education. Among the awardees was Father Dominic Savio, principal, St. Xavier's College.
Father Savio said, “This award is actually in honour of the institution and all related to St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, such as the Jesuit priests, staff, students, alumni, parents and well-wishers. It has given recognition to the high standard of academics pursued here and the high values of social commitment, the institution instils among its students and alumni. This award, no doubt, gives us encouragement to do more.”
He also said that this recognition will encourage them to build the new campus of the College off EM Bypass, which will be a hub of communication studies and the integrated research facility of the college.
Bengal’s National Teachers Award winner this year, Hariswami Das, the head teacher, in Sovanagar High School in Malda’s English Bazar was also awarded by the state.
Das has not only reversed school dropout rates but has increased school enrolment by successfully renovating and upgrading the school infrastructure in a child friendly manner. Das had also involved the larger community in this school upgrade.
Ghanshyam Nepal, 63-year-old professor of Nepali language at the North Bengal University, was also among the awardees from Darjeeling district. Nepal, who for his work is presently residing at Shivmandir in Siliguri has been teaching since 1982. “I am very much thankful to the NBU for giving me an opportunity.
I feel humbled getting the award,” he said. “I started my teaching profession in the year 1982, where I worked at a school in Sikkim and then between 1983 to 1984, I was teaching at the St Joseph’s college in Darjeeling. Later in the same year I got an opportunity in NBU as a Nepali professor,” he added. Nepal’s daughter is also a senior academic.
Among the 61 academics who were felicitated by state education minister Bratya Basu, senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, 21 are professors of college and universities, 15 are primary school teachers and 23 are secondary and higher secondary teachers. Two among them are Madrassa teachers.
