Right to education more empowering than right to vote: Ansari

New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) The right to education is more empowering than the right to vote, Vice President Hamid Ansari said Saturday as he conferred awards on 300 school teachers from across India on the occasion of Teachers Day.

“It has taken us six decades to provide the right to every child in the 6-14 years age group to free and compulsory primary education in neighbourhood schools. The Right to Education Act passed by the parliament last month is a historic step and probably more empowering, in terms of its impact, than the right to vote,” Ansari said.

As part of the Teachers Day celebrations, Ansari exhorted the teachers’ community from across the country to help build the nation by shaping the minds of India’s future generation. He asked the country to take note of the identity crisis of teachers, unwanted political interference and encouraged teachers to improve their competence.

“The question of inequity, and of segregated access to quality, remains a problem. The notion of equity has been central to our educational planning since Independence. Issues of access and equity, as of quality, are two sides of the same coin and need to be addressed in a parallel fashion. We need to assess if this is being realised for the poor and the vulnerable at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid,” he added.

He said, “we have a situation today in which teachers are politically empowered and professionally dis-empowered. This is a disservice to the cause of education. The need of the hour is to painstakingly rebuild the professional identity of our teachers, nurture their skills and professional competence through continuing education.”

He added the central government is constantly working towards the “objective of inclusive education so that the extraordinary latent talents of these special children are honed, enabling them to lead a life of quality and self esteem”.

Speaking on the occasion, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal called upon teachers to upgrade their teaching skills. He said that the dedication, the motivation and the commitment of the teachers nurtures the young, who are the future of the country.