Teachers across nation set to take special oath

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A Teacher's job is tough, considering the large number of young minds they have to shape, but they rarely get the respect and recognition they deserve. In order to highlight the important role teachers play in the development of a nation, the Early Childhood Association and Association for Primary Education and Research (ECA-APER) has organised a ceremony where over 52,000 educators from all across India will take a Teacher's Oath.

The initiative is aimed at helping teachers feel proud and committed to their mission. According to ECA-APER, hundreds of schools have already prepared their teachers for the ceremony, which will be held simultaneously on September 5 at 11 am.

Teacher's Day, although celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, is also a day to recognise teachers' contributions to nation-building.

A statement issued by ECA-APER read, "During the pandemic, teachers contributed the most but were not given their due recognition due to which many teachers are not feeling respected. Many also feel that professionalism is lacking in the field. This prompted ECA-APER to create a Teacher's Oath, which will help teachers feel more professional, committed and involved. The oath will be a humbling start to a new tradition in the teaching profession and bring about a sense of professionalism and pride."

Dr Swati Popat Vats, president of ECA, said, "An oath is a solemn promise regarding one's future action or behaviour. This is the reason nearly all professions have oaths, they use words as a binding contract to hold them accountable for their ethical actions, behaviour and ultimate decisions. We felt that the teaching profession lacked an oath-taking ceremony and thus decided to design an oath that both new and experienced teachers can take and feel a sense of commitment and belonging to the profession."

Harsha Ramaiya, national core committee member of ECA-APER, said, "We wanted teachers from all kinds of schools across the nation come to participate and feel like a community and thus the oath is available in seven languages."