Expressing concern over declining values in society, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday called on the people to elect and support public representatives with 4 Cs: character, ability, (good) conduct and caliber.
He also stressed the need for people’s representatives to show discipline and commitment to the welfare of the people.
The Vice President added that he wanted to see India as a strong and powerful nation, “where there is no hunger, no illiteracy and no discrimination”.
Naidu was attending the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Sri Patibandla Seetharamaiah High School, Guntur.
Addressing students, teachers and parents, the Vice President stressed the importance of holistic education. Equal attention should be given to physical fitness and activities like gardening, Naidu said.
He reiterated the need to give priority to education in the mother tongue.
It is important to master one’s mother tongue while learning other languages, the vice president said.
Naidu called for imparting values-based education to children with emphasis on Indian culture and heritage. He stressed that “education is for empowerment, enlightenment and employment and not just for the acquisition of degrees and certificates”.
Lamenting the commercialization of education, he said education and medicine were once treated like missions. Education must produce socially conscious and responsible citizens who will selflessly strive for the greater good of society and the country, the vice president said.
