Inculcate values in kids to fight corruption, says Nagaland governor

KOHIMA: Nagaland governor Dr Ashwani Kumar urged the people of the state to fight corruption and said this could be done by inculcating values in children. His priority would be to protect the poor and needy, he added.
Interacting with reporters at Raj Bhavan on Saturday, Dr Kumar observed that the weakest, honest and law abiding people are the worst-affected by corruption and it needs to be controlled in the state.He cited three levels for checking corruption: first, family in which he said the parents need to inculcate certain values in a child. "Second, schools, colleges and universities should impart values and ethics to the students so that they are able to take ethical decisions. The society is the third level to check corruption, after these students enter the society and go on to hold important positions," he said.
"If the system in society is strict, students will be honest and corruption will be checked," he said.
Describing Naga youths as literate and talented, the governor said good teachers were required for imparting quality education.
"Unless we have good teachers, society will not progress. We must ensure quality education to the children from the primary stage. If you want to bring about a permanent change, the change must start from the grassroots," the governor said.
Complimenting the teachers of Nagaland for bringing the literacy rate to more than 80% in the state, Kumar called upon all teachers to start working immediately to go through the Teachers Eligibility Test. A deadline of 2015 has been set for all teachers to clear the test.
The governor said necessary arrangements should be taken to help teachers to get the required capacity building to improve their knowledge and skills, so that they could further impart the same to the students. He requested the government to be determined not to seek any further extension of the 2015 deadline.
"Quality will be taken care of by improving the infrastructure," he observed.
The governor, himself an academician, said primary and middle school education should be given utmost importance. "Start improving from the bottom and momentum will come from its own," he added.
The commissioner and secretary of Information and Public Relations (IPR), M K Mero, who moderated the press meet, described Dr Ashwani Kumar as a 'multi-faceted personality and an intellectual with vast experiences in various fields'.