Agartala, Sept 06: Honouring the teachers, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manilk Saha on Sunday said the teachers play the most important role in nation building.

He was speaking at the ‘Shikshak Pranam 2026’ programme organized by the Higher Education department at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala. 

The Chief Minister said, teachers are Guiding Light for the future. A developed and progressive India can be built through the knowledge, guidance and direction given by teachers. He described teaching as a noble and prestigious profession.

Dr. Saha said that the life and philosophy of the late vice-president of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, would continue to serve as an important guiding light for the future. His thoughts on education had opened a new horizon for social transformation, he said. 

The Chief Minister urged teachers to impart education with comprehensive knowledge and help students of both the present and future generations become truly educated. 

He recalled that India once occupied a leading position in the world in knowledge, science, culture and various other fields, and stressed the need to restore that lost glory. He said that the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi—“Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi” (Heritage as well as Development)—should be made the guiding principle for building a knowledge-based India. 

According to him, the doors to excellence are open to those who enrich themselves through knowledge and education. The Chief Minister further said that the National Education Policy was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put the country’s education system on the right path. 

At the same time, technology has also been integrated with education, he added. He said the true purpose of education is to take people beyond the boundaries of limitations and lead them towards possibilities. 

Education, he emphasized, is not merely about building a career; its primary objective is character building. He also stressed the need to enhance skills to achieve greater knowledge and promote education. Students must receive quality education so that they can lead the country’s development and transformation, he said. 

Describing quality education as the pathway to prosperity, the Chief Minister called for strengthening it at every level and urged educational institutions to play a key role in developing strong human resources. 

Speaking as the special guest, Higher Education Minister Kishore Barman said that teachers are the guides of society and that a teacher or guru deserves respect and reverence every day. 

He said that, for the first time in the state, the ‘Shikshak Pranam’ programme has been organized to honour teachers at the college and university levels on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. 

He emphasized that a new transformation in the education sector can be achieved only through the coordinated efforts of students, teachers and the Education Department. He called upon every college campus to become the starting point of the new journey towards building a developed India. 

At the beginning of the programme, the Chief Minister, Higher Education Minister and other dignitaries paid floral tributes to Goddess Saraswati and Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. 

The Chief Minister also felicitated principals of various colleges across the state by presenting them with mementoes. 

Director of Higher Education Animesh Debbarma delivered the welcome address. Among those present were Education Department Secretary Dr. Milind Ramteke, Vice-Chancellor of Tripura National Law University Yogesh Pratap Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Bir Bikram University Dr. Bibhash Deb, and Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (Agartala), Abhay Kumar. Faculty members and students from various colleges and universities also attended the programme.