President Ram Nath Kovind says teachers are the best category of nation builders

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said teachers are the “best category” of nation builders but noted there is a dip in the standard of education because teachers are running away from their responsibility. [caption id=“attachment_3931201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ram Nath Kovind. Twitter@ airofficial[/caption] After meeting teachers who received awards on the occasion of Teachers Day, he said: “You are the best category of nation builders. India is a diverse nation… bringing all children to the mainstream is the responsibility of teachers.” Kovind, however, said that there is a dip in the standard of education because “teachers are running away from their responsibility”. He also called on teachers to try to understand the family and financial background of students so that they can bring all students to the same level. “Without understanding the background of every student, uniformity cannot be brought,” he said in his speech in Hindi. Pointing out that many teachers gave extra tuition to those who paid for it, he said it was like “selling education”. “As per Indian tradition, education is not sold, it is given as a gift. If you convert it into tuition or coaching, what would be the difference in a trader and a teacher? You would be selling education,” he said.