Esteemed teachers,

First and foremost, I pray for all teachers in the entire Myanmar to enjoy their physical and spiritual wellbeing on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day which falls on 5 October 2021.

World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated across the world on 5 October on a yearly basis since 1994 as part of following the recommendations over the life of teachers by the International Labour Organization-ILO and the UNESCO in 1966. In Myanmar, the Ministry of Education started celebration of the World Teachers’ Day at the national level taking place at the Diamond Jubilee Hall of the Yangon University on 5 October 2002.

Myanmar has had a tradition of paying attributes to the teachers since yore. Shin Sariputtara Thera who won the greatest in knowledge always fell asleep leading to the location of his teacher Shin Assaji Thera. There were many examples similar to paying the attributes to teachers.

On the significant day of World Teachers’ Day, it is necessary to perform paying respects to honourable persons, paying attributes to the deserved persons, recognizing gratitude over them, responding to the attributes of gratitude and honouring the teachers. On this occasion, we all unitedly express and honour the attributes of teachers.

The teachers play an important role in the improvement of the capacity and skills of pupils who will build the modern, developed future nation. Hence, they were honoured that “teachers are those who imagine the world with education, ease the tension of the world with sympathy and make sacrifices for the sake of the majority”.

The teachers choose the most basic option of careers in society. They are never disappointed with facing the challenges, and the global countries celebrate World Teachers’ Day in deep honour of the teachers.

The teachers are the persons who guide any others to knowe everything, to have techniques, to possess skills, to be polite, to be clever, to reach the right way and to broaden horizons. Not only teaching education but improving morals are duties of the teachers. They are the highly noblest benefactors for shaping their pupils with compassion and sympathy regarded as their offspring to be well-versed and good moral persons and to be the highly qualified educated persons.

Hence, the teachers must be qualified with full of qualifications, capacity and techniques. As teachers themselves must further study everything while teaching pupils, they are perpetual students. As today is knowledge age, everybody needs to make studies not only on technologies but also on other languages. Teachers must be capable of changing the teaching form from conventional to technology-based learning. It is necessary to upgrade the curriculum and syllabuses by applying Internet, mobile phones, TV and radio transmission systems in conformity with the situation.

Students on their part need to effectively study and pursue education by applying their opportunities. Teachers, students, parents and the government must cooperate with one another to strive for improvement of the education sector.

Everybody faces various kinds of challenges in today’s modern and developed era. It can be seen that the duties of teachers are heavier. It is necessary to the special care of the nature of student youths to be endowed with five strengths in the future, to mature the spirit of taking responsibility and accountability and to be capable of cooperation with others.

It is very delighted with the endeavours of teachers in teaching and guiding the students with goodwill, hobby and sacrifice to be able to overcome the challenges in the future.

Teachers have to improve themselves to be ideals for the students in addition to serving the duty of teaching. They have to advise with compassion and goodwill to students not to derail from the goals. As such, an ancient poem features “the teacher who advises with compassion and sympathy in the open mind to students for their sins whenever he sees”. In line with the saying goes: “five ethics of teacher: teaching techniques, giving advice, not leaving knowledge, preventing dangers, sending pupils to appropriate venue”, the teachers are responsible for directing the correct way for their pupils to be intelligent and to be educated. Those who can carve good and able citizens are also teachers.

At present, as the COVID-19 pandemic is imposing a threat on the lives of the people throughout the world, they all must prevent various dangers and pandemics as the sayings “to take preventive measures with mindfulness, wisdom and knowledge”.

It is necessary to give training to student youths to have skills to create life security and victory free from danger. So, the 2020 World Teachers’ Day expressed the theme “Teachers: leading in crisis, reimagining the future”.

As such, the qualification and capability of the teachers are especially crucial for the emergence of the intelligent and educated new generations. Correct guidance of the teachers is required not for the derailment of pupils from their goals. On the auspicious occasion of World Teachers’ Day, I’d like to deeply urge the teachers to continuously strive for ensuring the promotion of Myanmar’s education qualification meeting the international standards and emergence of an abundant number of educated persons with might and main as well as “steer the surging of revitalization for the education sector” in accord with the theme of World Teachers’ Day 2021.