Narendra Modi shared a message on X on the occasion of Teachers' Day, calling it a moment to recognise the contribution teachers make to society and to remember Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. The post also pointed to a meeting held the previous day at 7, LKM with winners of the National Teachers' Award, along with a link to a video from the interaction.
What Modi wrote
In the post, Modi said, "#TeachersDay is about appreciating the strong contribution of teachers to our society." He added that the day is also meant to pay homage to Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Alongside this, he referred to what happened when National Teachers' Awards winners were invited to 7, LKM the day before, without spelling out further details of the interaction in the text of the post itself.
The National Teachers' Award winners' visit
The reference to 7, LKM points to a gathering where teachers honoured with the National Teachers' Award were called in for a meeting. The National Teachers' Award is given out each year to recognise educators for their contribution to school education, and felicitation events for winners are typically held around Teachers' Day. Modi's post suggests that this year's batch of awardees was invited for an interaction a day before Teachers' Day itself, though the exact details of what was discussed were not laid out in the post.
Why September 5 is marked as Teachers' Day
Teachers' Day is observed in India every year on September 5, the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who worked as a teacher before going on to hold some of the country's highest public offices. The day is used across schools and institutions to honour the role teachers play in shaping students and, by extension, the nation.
Public reaction
The post received a mixed response online. A number of users thanked Modi for acknowledging the role of teachers and referred to the impact good teachers have on a person's life. At the same time, several replies were critical or pointed, with some users raising questions about Modi's own teachers during his time at Delhi University, and others bringing up the issue of shut government schools and demanding fresh teacher recruitment. A few unrelated replies referred to development work in Kashi.
