Teachers Day Special

NEW REGIONAL ADVANCED CENTRES FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY &
EDUCATION

NEW DELHI- September The government has proposed to set up four new Advanced Centres for Science, Technology and Education, on regional basis. However, at the apex level in research, massive national and international centres of excellence and facilities will continue to
be created, besides the existing ones including the Nuclear Science Centre.
Moreover, the infrastructure and facilities in the existing institutions will continue to
be upgraded. This was disclosed by the Minister for Human Resource Development
and Science & Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi here today, while inaugurating a
national workshop on "Design of Innovative Experiments for Post-graduate Teaching
Laboratories", organised by the Nuclear Science Centre of the Department of
Science and Technology. Dr. Joshi also said that plans are afoot for selectively
upgrading some of the universities. The Nuclear Science Centre now provides
research facilities to over 100 universities and colleges.

Underscoring the need to develop a "culture of experiments", Dr. Joshi said without
experimental science we can not move forward. He expressed concern over the
declining trend in this and said government has been taking a number of steps to
arrest this and give a boost to fundamental science. One of them is a unique
government-private sector tie-up in a manpower-building activity which the
Department of Science and Technology contracted with Intel, whereby about 60
chosen projects from the National Children Science Congress will automatically be
included in the Intel National Science and Engineering Fair. This will give them an
opportunity to participate in the Intel's International Fair.

Another entirely new initiative is the first-ever National Teacher's Science Conference
which is to begin in Bhopal next week. A new concept the government is working on
is "Mobile Laboratory" which can cater to a number of schools and help the students
do science experiments, Dr. Joshi said.

PRESIDENT TO GIVE AWAY TEACHERS’ DAY AWARDS

The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, will give away the National Award to
Teachers – 2002 at a function to be held in Delhi tomorrow. 282 teachers from the
various states of the country, and from organisations such as the Kendriya Vidyalaya
Sangathan, National Institute of Open Schooling, Sainik School Society, Atomic
Energy Education Society, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Central Board of Secondary
Education, Council for Indian Schools Certificate Examination have been selected for
the honour.

September 5th is celebrated as Teachers’ Day every year in the memory of Dr.
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, India’s second President and a committed educationist.
These awards are given away every year to teachers who have excelled in their
vocation. The Central Government gives away these awards on the basis of
recommendations by respective State Governments and educational organisations.