JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said empowering teachers is essential to building confident students and a resilient society, asserting that education must focus on transforming lives rather than merely producing examination results.
The Lieutenant Governor made the remarks while attending a One-Day Capacity Building Programme organised by the Bharti Airtel Foundation, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), J&K, and the School Education Department. The programme also marked the launch of instructional resources jointly developed by the three organisations to strengthen teachers’ professional capacities and improve the quality of school education across the Union Territory.
Addressing the gathering, Sinha said the initiative reflects a shared commitment to empowering teachers and inspiring confidence among students.
“When teachers are empowered, students gain confidence. When schools are strengthened, society becomes more resilient and when education moves in the right direction, Jammu and Kashmir and the nation advance towards a brighter, safer and more prosperous future,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said the ultimate purpose of education is transformation and urged schools to become “laboratories of life-building” by focusing on character development alongside academic learning.
He said the programme is also linked to the broader Drug-Free Jammu & Kashmir campaign and aims to equip teachers with modern tools to help students deal with challenges such as substance abuse, mental stress, peer pressure, digital risks and changing lifestyles.
Calling for greater emphasis on life-skills education, Sinha said schools should promote self-awareness, emotional balance, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving so that students are better prepared to face real-life challenges.
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), he said its objective is to develop creative, responsible, innovative, compassionate and self-reliant citizens. He also appreciated the Directorate of School Education Jammu for introducing online classes for Classes XI and XII across ten districts, describing it as an important step towards educational equity by extending quality learning opportunities to students in remote areas.
The Lieutenant Governor said the success of educational reforms would ultimately be measured by the confidence and contribution of students in building a self-reliant Jammu and Kashmir.
On the occasion, he felicitated meritorious students and winners of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (TOFEI) initiative. Several books on life skills were also released.
The programme was attended by Bharti Airtel Foundation Co-Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Commissioner Secretary, School Education Department Ram Niwas Sharma, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Bharti Airtel Foundation CEO Nuriya Ansari, Director School Education Jammu Dr. Naseem Javaid Chowdhary, senior officials, educationists, teachers and students.
