Lucknow, Sep 22 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday distributed appointment letters to 3,567 selected teachers and principals appointed through Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission for various posts in secondary schools. The appointments include principals, headmasters, lecturers (PGT) and assistant teachers (TGT). The appointment letters were distributed at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow.Addressing the gathering, Yogi Adityanath congratulated the newly appointed teachers and principals and their families on the occasion.“I wholeheartedly congratulate all of you on becoming a part of the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Department. I also congratulate your teachers, parents and all your family members on this occasion,” he said.The Chief Minister said that the newly appointed teachers would have a significant role in shaping the future of students through guidance and mentorship.“As I told you, if each teacher among you interacts with 100 students every year, then 3,567 teachers means you will interact with more than 3.5 lakh children in a year. This means you have the ability to guide them. Your guidance and mentorship will lay the foundation for a new India,” he said.

Recalling India's historical educational legacy, Yogi Adityanath said the country was considered a “Vishwaguru” when it was home to prestigious centres of learning such as Takshashila and Nalanda.“India has this heritage from a very long time. There is a need to identify it and understand it,” he said.He said the government could create an environment for setting up industries and facilitate their establishment, but innovation and employment would ultimately depend on the students trained by teachers.“The government can build laboratories, but whether those laboratories conduct excellent research and prepare students for it will be decided by the students trained by you,” he said.The Chief Minister also stressed the importance of specialised training for those entering the teaching profession. He said an administrative officer might discharge administrative responsibilities effectively but would not necessarily be a good teacher without appropriate training. Similarly, police officers would also need training to become teachers.Referring to reforms in recruitment examinations, CM Yogi said that Prashant Kumar has been appointed Chairman with the responsibility of tackling the “cheating mafia” and ensuring that talented students were not deprived of opportunities.

He said the appointment was linked to Kumar’s track record in the Uttar Pradesh Police and aimed at reforming the functioning of commissions and boards.According to the Chief Minister, more than 5,297 youths had received appointment letters from him during the previous week.“In the last nine years, we have distributed appointment letters to 9.5 lakh people,” he said.Taking a jibe at the opposition, he also referred to the “Saifai Syndicate” and said they should count the number of appointments made by the government, adding that if they did not know how to count, they could learn it from Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav.

/IANS