New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee interacted with school children on Friday and said he would be happy if the students called him "Mukherjee Sir".
The President spoke to the students of a school located within the President's Estate here for about half an hour on the eve of Teachers' Day and then asked if they were bored with his lecture.
The students replied in the negative.
He then told them that he not interacting with them as president, but as a teacher.
"How would you call me," he asked them and added that he would be happy if they called him "Mukherjee Sir".
He also shared with them his own experiences when he was a school student.
The students heard him with rapt attention.
Teaching must get respect from society: President
President further said that "teaching as a profession must receive respect and recognition from society".
"I express my gratitude to all teachers, across the length and breadth of our country. I extend my greetings and felicitation and wish them every success in their noble endeavours," Mukherjee said in a statement.
He said Teachers' Day, which falls on Sep 5, was a special occasion "when we honour our teachers who are practitioners of one of the noblest professions and whose dharma is to impart wisdom".
"Teachers mould the destiny of students and impart wisdom and learning to our future generations. An inspired teacher is value-oriented, mission-driven, self-motivated and result-oriented. He links the individual goals of students to national goals and enables them achieve their full potential."
Appreciating the role of teachers, the president said: "Teaching as a profession must receive respect and recognition from society.
"Teachers must be made to feel that their contribution and devotion to students is appreciated. We must have an environment that fosters creativity and recognizes merit amongst teachers."
Mukherjee, 79, has a Master's Degree in History and Political Science and also Law from the University of Kolkata.
This is for the first time that a President has interacted with students on the eve of Teachers' Day.
The HRD Ministry had asked all the state governments to make arrangement to show the live speech of Pranab Mukherjee.
Teachers' Day is celebrated on September 5, in honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India.
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