Place : Gandhinagar, Date : 23rd Aug, 2013
All present dignitaries, all those who are from academia and have gathered here from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar district, and along with this venue, this programme is being conducted in all the districts of Gujarat. My friends from the cabinet are present in these programmes and are listening to me through video conferencing in all the districts of the state, so I greet hereby people from every corner of the state and all my colleagues from the cabinet..!
Friends, the country is fed up with corruption, everyday such incidences of corruption take place that can shake everyone around and there’s a question in everyone’s mind that whether this corruption can be overcome? And today when I am here in the teacher’s recruitment programme, we all know this and it is quite very common in India, that these are the rates for this job, this for that job, for transfer this rate… there is an entire market operating for it..! Friends, I am saying this with a lot of courage that today the state is taking decision for recruitment of 8000 teachers, but there’s not even one complaint of corruption of even a single penny..! And today also, all those who are sitting here, if you had to do anything anywhere, convey it to me without any hitch. Friends, I have this courage because if we decide that we can eliminate this widespread cancer from this country, a living example of it is right in front of us. Recruitment in government job is possible with a transparent procedure, without transaction of even a single rupee, transfers can happen with a transparent process. And Friends, there’s a good thing for me, I do not have to worry about my family and relatives..! This six crore Gujaratis is my family and thus all the benefits are for my family only..!
We give priority to education..! There’s a saying in China, if you are thinking for one year, sow grains, if you are thinking for ten then sow fruits, but if you are thinking for generations, then sow people..! Education is a mighty campaign to sow people. A great campaign to build excellent men, an excellent citizen is Education..! Those who take responsibility as a teacher, they shape an entire generation. A generation is developed under him. The future of this nation depends on the education and upbringing of this generation and this depends on those who are dedicated to their education and upbringing. You are going to associate with such holy cause, so I welcome you all and wish you all the best..!
In 2001, when I took over as a Chief Minister, then it was a common voice that this man has no experience, has never been even the member of Municipal Corporation, has not even been the Sarpanch of any village, what this man would do..? And they were right that I had no experience of running a state. I did not even know what government is, what administration is, I had no understanding of it all. But Friends, today Gujarat can proudly say what good governance is..! And the major reason for this is the student alive within me..! Still today, I have spontaneity, curiosity, eagerness of a student within me..! And the one in whom a student is alive, his evolution never ceases..! And Friends, a true teacher is only the one who has a student alive in him. The moment he thinks that he is no more a student and has become a teacher now, then do understand that he is no longer a student now, but he is finished as a teacher also..! The true teacher is identified by the student spirit that dwells in him; it is identified by the student alive in him..! The same curiosity, the same urgency, the same enthusiasm, the same excitement, the same emotional world which is present in a student should be there in a teacher. Friends, keeping the student in you intact means that the student sitting in front of you can be your teacher..! He may have many a things that we should learn from him..! His behavior can be a teacher for us. And when the process of acquisition of knowledge, information, and experience from everywhere continues then the process of becoming an excellent teacher continues forever..! Completing P.T.C., B.Ed., M.Ed. does not mean a full stop of life, they ignite in us a ‘sense of responsibility’. If I complete B.Ed. or M.Ed., so it is not the end, it does not mean completion. They make me realize my sense of responsibility as a teacher, and it is just the process of sowing the seed, the responsibility of growing a tree as a teacher from it is mine. With regular nourishment by practicing, a good teacher can evolve…!
I have seen teachers, whose fathers were also teachers and when these people go to take class, they take notes of their fathers to teach..! Because the syllabus is still the same..! No student can ever accept such a teacher. But if the teacher is lively, his mere presence itself ignites consciousness and he can change the environment just by his presence, then that teacher is effective, and inspiring..! Friends, many a times if you have good physique then u can impress people, if your parents are well off, then you can wear good clothes and impress people. But you can’t become inspiring by creating impression..! One can become inspirational only when a voice from their life is heard to others, people can feel values from it, and it should not need words to be expressed, his silence speaks..! And if that is the state of mind, we can accomplish this task..!
In 2001, when I started the journey of work, then in the beginning I asked the officers about the then present situation, and when I got to know about the girl child education, I was shocked to know the situation of female education in our Gujarat..! And since then, we started a drive to increase the significance of primary schools. And now, there are government schools till class 8th, secondary schools with grants and government schools even. There is a perception in the society that government civic service means all is hopeless..! You can’t go to government hospital, private is better even if you have to spend more money. Don’t go in government bus, even if the private jeep is overloaded… this is the perception..! Friends, how to create faith in it..? And I am the best example of it, my Friends..! This personality called Narendra Modi standing before you is product of a government school only..! Teachers of government schools like you have taught me, raised me..! This means Friends, that there is potential. Even today, I went to an event of Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation some 3-4 years back. A student of a Municipal school scored in the top ten of Corporation. This means Friends that the students who go there also have the spark and grace, all they need is a sculptor who can shape them..! And when as a teacher I shape a student, I build a society, I build a nation and if there is the spirit, the work becomes pleasure..!
Friends, we called upon for education of children in Gujarat. Why can’t 100% children be enrolled in school..? We got success..! But then we realized that the number of teachers is falling short. It was easier for the previous governments because there were no students, so teachers were not needed..! We got the students, and then we also needed to get the teachers..! Then we realized that we needed rooms..! We made thousands of rooms..! In Gujarat, almost 32,000 schools and 74,000 new rooms were constructed. Reason, the number has started increasing from the lowest level..! Then we realized that kids give up on their education after 7th standard, so start 8th now..! Then we saw that students go to neighborhood villages, so we gave them cycles, gave girls bus passes for free..! Do anything, but educate them. Then we felt that the schools should be a bit modernized, so we took care that every school should get electricity, should get computers, broadband connectivity..! To make the schools more advanced, we tried for long distance education..! To make them learn from the best programmes, best teachers, we did put efforts. An entire sequence of one improvement after the other, building of one basic need after other took place. Then we realized that it would be better if we have a separate cadre of principles, otherwise time of that teacher is taken in all the paperwork and the kids and their education of that subject suffer. A separate cadre of principles was established by hiring some and by promoting some..! All in all, from the point of basic education, basic infrastructure, from the point of view of manpower, technology, budget, we started a drive to equip it in every way..! And Friends, we have seen that the children that we admitted to school in 2001, most of them today are passing their high school or intermediate, and today the situation is that they have to go out of their villages for further studies. So the nest stage was that build such hostels in entire Gujarat to accommodate thousands of students..! And to build hostels for these thousands of students, we spent a huge budget of Rs. 200 crore..! Why..? The effort that we have put in to get students to the school, it should not be left in the midway, those who want to study they should get time..! We are moving ahead in that direction..! When kids are going ahead they need higher education..! There was an era, in 2001 there were 11 universities in this state, and today there are 46 universities..! Gujarat has its origin in 1960. From 1960 to 2001, in 40 years, 11 universities and in last 10 years, 46 universities..! Can we call it development..? Well, you can understand while others can’t..!
Friends, we have paid a lot of attention over education, have done various innovative experiments and our efforts are to take Gujarat towards excellence in basic education..! After ensuring the availability of teachers, students, class rooms, computers, electricity, fans, water, books, everything... we must ascertain the position of the child..! Where is the foundation..? And for this we started the ‘Gunotsav’..! Including the CM, all the people go to the schools and conduct inspections to check if the kids know reading, writing, mathematics, spellings..? And in entire India, Gujarat is the first state where government schools have been graded..! In this country, business schools are graded, like ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade business school. In this country engineering colleges, medical colleges are graded, IITs and IIMs are graded, but ours is a state that grades primary schools and included everyone including Collectors to evaluate the number of ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade schools in their districts and gone up to ‘E’ and ‘F’..! We asked them that how will they get their schools from ‘C’ to ‘B’ and from ‘B’ to ‘A’ grades..? And some of those schools were with such DNA that they can’t get strong..! So then we found such teachers and conducted special training for them. At some places we felt that we should mix up a bit, take some from one place, get two here, take two there, but do something..! Friends, such minute efforts are there because we want to build Gujarat’s tomorrow..! Friends, Gujarat has to reach the new peaks of this world and in its foundation there is basic school education. Whether it is city or village, whether it is a jungle, tribal area or fishermen’s sea shore, the efforts are to get the best education everywhere and for everyone..!
Friends, it is fortunate to become a teacher..! When we were kids and guests used to come at our place, and our parents used to say that we want to make him a doctor, an engineer, and we were not even in 5th standard at that time. It’s their in our minds, everyone here must be thinking that our parents wanted us to become doctor or engineer and we landed up as a teacher..! All your time will be spent in this only, that I could not become a doctor..! Let it be, that year the paper was tough, the examiners were not good, that means we get various excuses..! Friends, what’s done is done, now when you have to decide, then start thinking about how to see grand dreams where we are keeping aside the past, how to build a grand empire there..! Otherwise if you will move ahead with this burden that I wanted to become this, that, now what to do, it was destined..! And then you just keep looking at the watch..! Friends, we have to decide what we want to do..? Friends, when the school bell rings then whether we get energy or we get mentally stressed, that we need to understand..! If the ringing of school bell makes us feel like chirruping of birds then Friends, this school bell will become new melody of life..! But if the same sound seems to be a burden that why did it ring, then Friends, we are doomed. And the one who enjoys the last bell of the day, he is to understand that he is still to become a teacher..! A teacher should feel so that I was still to teach and the day is over..! Friends, these are the standards of our mental condition..! Friends, if our student feels sad on Sunday that he won’t be able to meet their teachers..? Then you have become their real guardians. But if on Saturday the student feels happy that he does not need to come next day, then believe me Friends, that neither the school building, nor the CM, the budget, education department, no one is responsible for that but only the teacher is..! If the kid comes with enthusiasm then the credit does not go to the CM or the government’s budget, but the credit goes to the teacher who devoted his complete self to the kid..! Friend, if you play your role with this spirit, then an able workforce to fulfill the dreams that we have weaved for Gujarat’s future will be created by you. In a way you will become the real builder of Gujarat, these are my wishes for you..!
All my friends who are sitting in every corner of Gujarat, and who are about to receive their appointment letters, I congratulate all of you and I am sure that they will put in all possible efforts for development of this state..! With these wishes,
