Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy emphasized the urgent need for an annual investment of $1 billion to train teachers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to enhance education in India. Murthy proposed the establishment of 2,500 institutions over the next two decades, allocating $20 billion for the training of primary and secondary school teachers.
To achieve this goal, Murthy suggested inviting 10,000 retired highly accomplished teachers, both from India and around the world, to contribute to creating 2,500 "train the teacher" colleges across India. Speaking at the Infosys Prize ceremony in Bengaluru, he outlined that this initiative could annually train 250,000 primary school teachers and 250,000 secondary school teachers, with the trained teachers becoming trainers themselves over a five-year period.
Murthy stressed the importance of offering competitive compensation, proposing a yearly payment of $100,000, along with improved facilities for teachers. He highlighted that India is currently in the early stages of development in crucial areas such as city design, pollution and traffic management, and the provision of clean water. Murthy urged India to aim for stage 4 in innovation and invention, becoming a creator of new processes, products, and services.
During the Infosys Prize 2023 ceremony, where six individuals were honored for their significant contributions to scientific research in India across various categories, Murthy emphasized the importance of learnability, creativity, and innovation in navigating a rapidly changing world. The awards, spanning Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences, each included a gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of $100,000 or its equivalent in INR.
(With Agency Inputs)
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