'Grandmother was my role model', says President Murmu

Bhubaneswar, Nov 11: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said her grandmother, who used to help mankind, was her role model during her childhood days.

Murmu, who was in Odisha on a two-day visit, said this while interacting with the students during her short visit to Tapoban High School in Bhubaneswar.

"My grandma was the only role model for me. She was known for her courage and her service to mankind," the President said.

Sharing her struggling school life, the First Lady said, "During my school time, the situation was not like the present time. And, the school at my village Uparabeda now may have a concrete roof and pucca house. But, at that time, it was made with mud and had a thatched roof. We used to apply cow dung to repair the floor every week and sweep the floor daily."

However, the situation has changed now and you all are very lucky that you are getting an education amid a better environment, she told the students.

Sharing some pictures of her visit to the school on twitter, the President said she was delighted to interact with the students, teachers, alumni and inmates of the hostel. It was truly a journey down the memory lane. May the school and its students achieve new heights of glory, she wished.

After this, she paid a visit to her alma mater Government Girls High School Unit-II and Kuntala Kumari Sabat Adivasi Girls Hostel at Unit-II where she had stayed during her school time. The President interacted with students, teachers, alumni and inmates of the hostel.

The President also was seen enjoying Santali tribal dance performed by her school students. She spent some personal time in her hostel room and bed she was using during the school days.

"It was a nostalgic moment today when I visited my alma mater Government Girls High School and Kuntalakumari Sabat Adivasi Girls Hostel in Bhubaneswar. The visit brought back many fond memories of my student life," Murmu tweeted.

Before leaving for Delhi, she launched various projects of the Union Ministry of Education here at Jayadev Bhawan.

These include engineering books of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in Odia language; glossary of the technical terms in Odia language, developed by Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT); and e-KUMBH (Knowledge Unleashed in Multiple Bharatiya Languages) portal.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that she was happy to launch these important initiatives of the Ministry of Education. These are commendable steps in the direction of making education accessible to all.

It has been observed that many students face difficulty in understanding technical education in English. That is why under the National Education Policy-2020, the government has taken steps to provide technical education in the regional languages, she said.

The President said that there is no doubt that mother tongue helps intellectual development in students. She expressed confidence that learning in mother tongue would develop creative thinking and analytical skills among students and it would also provide equal opportunities to urban and rural students.

She noted that earlier technical education in regional languages used to face hurdles due to non-availability of textbooks in vernacular languages. She appreciated AICTE for its efforts in removing this hurdle.

Stating that education is a tool for empowerment, she said, "We must ensure that each and every child in our country has access to education at every level. We have to do our best to make the education available to all without any discrimination. Language should be an enabling factor not a hindrance for educating the students. The introduction of learning in regional and local languages would go a long way towards building a well-educated, aware and vibrant society."

The President said that Odia is an ancient and rich language. It has a distinct literary tradition and rich vocabulary. Therefore, there would be no difficulty in getting technical education in Odia language.

She further said that all Indian languages have more or less the same potential. She was happy to note that under the National Education Policy-2020, equal importance is being given to all Indian languages. She said that it has ushered in a new era in the field of Indian languages.