Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister of the Republic of Union of Myanmar Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing
sends World Teachers’ Day message.
(5 October 2024)
Esteemed teachers,
Teachers of the entire Myanmar, I wish you all physical and mental wellbeing on the World Teachers’ Day which falls on 5 October 2024.
In this world, there is no one without a teacher. Everyone has to learn from the teachings from a teacher, through his awareness, eyes and ears. The value of virtues and gratitude of a teacher (Acariya) is infinite. Praising their virtues and gratitude, teachers are honoured in many parts of the world. Since 1994, World Teacher Day celebrations have been held for 31 years with the respective themes, such as, -- value teachers and enhance their future, teacher’s efforts for a beautiful future, equality among teachers ensures a pleasant society, teachers, the source of education reforms – that are praising the virtues of teachers.
From the ancient times till today, Myanmar has preserved the culture of paying respects to teachers, solemnly keeping in fore their gratitude. According to religious treatises, Aggasavaka Shin Sariputtara, considered the right-hand disciple of Buddha, also kept in the fore Shin Punna, who taught him seven treatises of Visuddhimagga (the seven stages of purification). Whenever he went to bed, the Aggasavaka pointed his head towards the place where Shin Assaji was as the latter was his mentor who taught and showed him the exact Dhamma of Buddha. He repaid his mentor’s gratitude by showing his respects.
When King Mindon ascended the throne, the king paid back the gratitude he owed to his childhood educator, San Kyaung Sayadaw, by honouring and supporting the monk. Ancient Myanmar kings always expressed their gratitude towards the monks who showed them the correct path by providing them with monasteries and conferring religious titles on them. Schools and universities in the entire Myanmar are holding ceremonies to pay respects to their teachers in expressing the gratitude they owe to their teachers. It is one of the noble and adorable traditions of Myanmar.
Paying back the gratitude, an auspicious deed Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, parents and teachers are the five infinites of Myanmar society. Parents and teachers are the principal persons in nurturing the new generation, who will shoulder the State duties in the future, to be skilled in arts and science, good persons possessing high moral, discipline and good moral manners. As student youths are green they can become brilliant based on the teachings and molding of their parents and teachers.
Parents teach their children the basic knowledge and dos and don’ts from birth till reaching school age. When children come to the classrooms from the warm embrace of their parents, teachers welcome them with cordiality and kindness regardless of their status. Parents and teachers are the first people to nurture their children and they have influence on them.
Regarding them as their own children, teachers guide their students towards the correct path with goodwill.
Having the seven qualities -- virtues of love, respect and honour, the courage to correct their students without fear of any undesirable results that may occur, answering every question, discuss serious issues, disseminating beneficial knowledge and preventing students from any unbeneficial practices – teachers are shaping their students to become kind-hearted intellectuals by guiding them with goodwill, professionalism and sacrifices in accord with their five tasks – teaching, admonishing, educating, safeguarding and guiding.
Teachers are the persons who can distinguish between right and wrong and good and bad, show the way to escape from darkness, and prevent from falling into darkness. As teachers can spread love among humans, beautify the life of their students and drive away sorrows, they are praised as community leaders.
Teachers change the mindsets of their pupils apart from educating them.
They show the way to have sympathy towards fellow humans, and organize the community to pay more attention to the majority's interest than self-interest.
They must spread the Myanmar spirit – respect for elders, esteem for peers, and sympathy for juniors. They must strive for the propagation of the Union Spirit, promoting nationalistic fervor, and strengthening patriotism and enhancing the will to preserve Myanmar heritage.
Earliest implementation of a new education system that ensures skill in multiple fields including physical, intellectual and disciplinary fields is the main duty of teachers. They are also an integral part of the task to generate brilliant human resources for the country. So teachers are the persons of the class that can train generations of human societies to reach the most possible highest point. They are also the persons promoting the society and ensuring peace, while training successive generations to be smart. In this ever changing knowledge age, teachers must continuously study modern contemporary skills and technologies for education promotion and international competitiveness.
As teachers are life-long learners they must be in the process of selfimprovement by visiting libraries, reading books and periodicals and applying modern technologies in this ever changing world. They must also guide their students towards the life-long learning process through book reading habits after completion of their school education.
Teachers should train students to become well-disciplined citizens, apart from teaching them to acquire school education, intellectual knowledge and general knowledge. Everyone must understand and observe the laws in the course of building a modern and peaceful and stable country. Universities are teaching legal subjects to disseminate knowledge on law among students and the fundamental courses on legal knowledge should be included in the curriculum of Grade 11 and Grade 12 classes.
As the life of students is determined by the educational skills and willingness of a teacher, teachers must have the necessary education level, goodwill and standard of morality. They must train their students to be the persons who observe discipline, respect time are loyal to the State in accord with the saying, which goes: Nurture the students to be outstanding and vital in every sector.
We are now building a modern and developed Union based on democracy and federalism, where development and flourishing of human resources imbued with intellectual and technological knowledge and capability is essential. Teachers must possess the necessary qualifications and must nurture and produce good sons and daughters for the future State who are imbued with five strengths, good morale and knowledge, who have the sense of taking responsibility and accountability, who observe the rule.
As teachers are the persons, nurturing students to become intellectuals and intelligentsia, the program of providing teachers with additional benefits based on education level, uniform and housing allowances and homes began in October 2021 to enable them to live with dignity.
On this Worlds Teachers’ Day I would like to seriously urge all to focus on collectively solving the hardships and challenges of teachers in accord with theme “Valuing Teachers’ Voices” and to train themselves to become human resources that possess a broader scope of knowledge and efficiency in multiple fields for interest of the country and their own interest, while acquiring the knowledge disseminated teachers without fail.
Teachers, I wish you all the best and enjoy physical and mental wellbeing and peace.