Imphal, December 21, 2009: Education Minister, L Jayentakumar has said that the profession of teacher is a gentle and honourable profession, and a teacher should be a good psychologist who can understand the behaviours and likes and dislikes of the students.

The Minister said this at the inaugural function of a three-day Graduate Teachers' Training Programme held at the mini auditorium of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Lamphel in Imphal West district today.

The training programme, with the theme "Understanding and managing adolescents," is jointly organised by Department of Education (S), Government of Manipur, Department of Clinical Psychology, RIMS and Department of Psychiatry, RIMS.

Addressing the dignified gathering, Minister Jayentakumar said, since National Knowledge Commission had come into existence, a global competition in education has emerged today.

In order to make the students become more competitive and bring them to the right direction, it is very much necessary for the teachers to be able to teach the students understanding their behaviours and likes and dislikes.

People's talents are not similar, the Minister said adding that the teachers are required to try to understand the different talents of the students.

He said, the young students' lives are like clay.

Guiding the young students, who can be moulded in any shape, in the right direction lies in the hands of the teachers.

The Minister further said that the government is taking up steps for the schools to conduct special classes for the students to make up for the days lost during the class boycott agitation which has threatened the students' academic career.

But some teachers of government schools have protested and were planning to go to court with the complaint that they are being used overtime more than their normal duty.

This is not fair, the Minister said.

The problem involves us all, Jayentakumar said and wished that the teachers would cooperate with the steps taken up by the government so that the academic career of the students would not be lost.

He further said that most of the government schools were conducting normal classes, the private schools are yet to reopen and resume classes.

All the schools in Thoubal district are conducting normal classes, he informed.

On being asked why the private the schools were not reopening and resuming classes, the principals/head masters of the schools replied that if their schools were burnt down for resuming classes, there is no one to give compensation for them.

But for the government schools, the government is there, they had said, narrated Education Minister Jayentakumar.

However, the private schools' authorities had been told that the government would give compensation even if their schools were burnt down.

It is not the time to remain silent when the students are on the brink of losing their academic career on the excuse that there is threat to our life, the Minister said.

The teachers and the guardians need to act boldly to save the student community from this predicament, he said.

Director, Education (S), M Harekrishna presided over the function and Head of Department of Clinical Psychology, RIMS, Dr M Akshaykumar was the guest of honour.

More than 200 teachers are expected to take part in the training programme.

Prof AK Singh spoke on "Emotional quotient" and Th Mihirkumar spoke on "Intelligence quotient" at the technical session in the afternoon.

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