Teacher’s Day, celebrated every year across India on September 5th, honors the birth anniversary of the great philosopher, educator, and former President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. As a respected teacher and visionary leader, Dr. Radhakrishnan believed that the future of a nation lies in the hands of its teachers. This special day is dedicated to appreciating the dedication, hard work, and inspiration teachers provide every day.

If you’re looking for fresh, heartfelt quotes to share on Teacher’s Day, whether it’s on social media, in cards, or during a speech, here’s a collection of the latest quotes that capture the spirit of teaching and its profound impact.

Inspiring Quotes That Celebrate Teachers’ Impact

• “To a teacher who inspires and empowers, we celebrate your impact and thank you on this special day.”
• “Happy Teachers' Day to the teachers who guide us with their wisdom and help us follow our dreams.”
• “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” — Brad Henry
• “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Adams
• “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — William Butler Yeats
• “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
• “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein

Quotes Expressing Gratitude and Appreciation for Teachers

• “On this Teacher's Day, we honor the mentor who guides us with patience and respect, making learning a joy.”
• “Thank you for being more than just a teacher. Your caring nature and dedication make learning meaningful.”
• “All the efforts and hard work you invested to bring out the best in us can never be repaid in words. We are forever grateful!”
• “Your patience and encouragement have changed lives. Happy Teachers’ Day!”

Quotes Highlighting the Unique Role of Teachers

• “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” 
• “The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.” 
• “A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.” 
• “If a country is to be corruption-free and become a nation of beautiful minds, three key members can make a difference: the father, the mother, and the teacher.” — Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
• “Teachers like you are the architects of our dreams.”

Unique Greetings For Favourite Teacher

1. "Dear Teacher, your gentle encouragement made me believe in myself on days when no one else did. Your simple words have given me hope, courage, and the confidence to chase my dreams. I carry your faith in me everywhere I go. Happy Teachers’ Day to my greatest cheerleader!"
2. "Your classroom was more than just four walls—it was where I found a second home. Thank you for seeing the best in me, for never letting me give up on myself, and for celebrating my small victories. You changed my journey just by caring. Happy Teachers’ Day, my guiding light!"
3. "You didn’t just teach me lessons from a textbook—you taught me how to be kind, honest, and resilient. Your patience, even when I faltered, has left an imprint on my heart. On this special day, I hope you know you are remembered with gratitude and love, always."
4. "Some days, I walked into class with heavy thoughts, but your smile always made the world brighter. Thank you for giving me not just knowledge, but hope and warmth—qualities that stay long after the bell rings. Wishing you a Happy Teachers’ Day filled with the love you give so freely."
5. "You heard the things I couldn’t say. You believed in my dreams when they were only whispers. Thank you for being the hand I could hold on my toughest days and the heart that encouraged me to fly. You’re more than a teacher—you’re family. Happy Teachers’ Day."
6. "Your words echo in my mind even now: ‘Don’t be afraid of mistakes—they make you stronger.’ You turned my failures into lessons and my doubts into confidence. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today. Happy Teachers’ Day to the maker of dreams."
7. "The world is better because of teachers like you—who love, nurture, listen, and make every child feel seen. Thank you for standing by my side and lighting my path, one lesson at a time. You are my true inspiration. Happy Teachers’ Day!"

Original / New-Style Quotes

1. “A teacher’s praise in the right moment becomes the spark that ignites a lifetime of belief.”
2. “The lessons that stayed with me weren’t in the textbook—they were in your words, your patience, and your silence.”
3. “You didn’t just teach us answers—you taught us how to question the world with curiosity and courage.”
4. “Teachers plant ideas that bloom years later—often when the student doesn’t even realise it.”
5. “Every chalk line you drew shaped the outlines of our future.”
6. “You taught me that failing wasn’t falling—it was the first step in rising.”
7. “In a noisy world, your words brought clarity. In confusion, you were the compass.”
8. “A teacher’s encouragement echoes longer than applause—it lives quietly in every decision we dare to make.”
9. “Your belief in me taught me to believe in myself—even when I didn’t have the strength to.”
10. “The greatest teachers don’t just teach facts—they teach you how to find your own truth.”

 Poetic and Deep

1. “The ink of a teacher’s words stains the pages of our lives forever.”
2. “Where the world saw noise, you heard the rhythm of potential.”
3. “The best classrooms don’t need four walls—they need one passionate teacher.”
4. “Some lessons end when the bell rings. Yours never did.”
5. “You taught me the silent strength of compassion, the quiet power of perseverance.”
6. “Teachers are the sunrise to every curious mind—steady, bright, and full of promise.”
7. “In the garden of life, teachers are the quiet rain—helping us grow, unseen but essential.”
8. “If life is a stage, you were the one behind the curtain, making sure we remembered our lines.”
9. “A teacher is like a lighthouse—firm and steady, guiding every ship through its storm.”

Teachers are not just educators—they are mentors, motivators, and makers of the future. They instill values, build confidence, and leave behind a legacy of kindness and learning that lasts a lifetime. This Teacher’s Day, let us not just celebrate their contribution with words but honour them with heartfelt appreciation and continued respect throughout the year.

Take a moment to send a message, write a note, or simply say “thank you” to the teacher who made a difference in your life. Because behind every successful individual, there is always a teacher who believed first.

By Jishnu Mukherjee

India's demographic dividend — long-celebrated as the country's strongest asset — is slowly disappearing, not through migration, but internally. A less heralded but crippling crisis has begun: an erosion of cognitive abilities across multiple generations that imperils not only individual well-being, but the nation's future trajectory.

Forget the brain drain of talent heading west. What we’re witnessing is something more insidious: the internal erosion of cognitive health across all age groups — from children struggling with academic anxiety to overworked adults facing digital burnout, to elderly citizens battling undiagnosed neurological conditions. The implications go far beyond healthcare — this is about national capacity, productivity, and future potential.

Medanta's Dr. Arun Garg cites a harsh reality: excessive pressure to study, isolation, and excessive use of technology are consuming young minds. With 8.7% of students even thinking of suicide due to stress, and almost half of them scoring low marks and losing sleep, we wonder: how long can we ignore this pandemic?

Middle-aged Indians, trapped in the 'productivity paradox', are no better off. Electric over-connection, celebrated as empowerment, has found itself leaving them depleted, stressed, and with short-term memory loss. The old are equally afflicted with lifestyle-related brain damage in the form of hypertension, stroke, and Alzheimer's — disease complexes that often go unrecognized until too late.

The culprits are ubiquitous: processed food, dirty air, a sedentary lifestyle, stress by chronicity, and stigmatising social culture of mental illness. But the most heinous shortfall is this — only 2% of troubled youth receive help. Our complacency remains woefully inadequate, even as the cost goes up.

This is not just a public health crisis. This is a social, economic and educational crisis. India cannot continue to push cognitive well-being under the carpet anymore. If the brain is the center of all education, work, and decision-making, then a nation of confused minds is a nation lagging behind.

The solutions exist — sleep, exercise, nutrition, digital discipline, systemic reforms — but the will to act must follow. Our schools need trained counsellors. Our families need open conversations. Our policies need to prioritise brain health, not just GDP.

The real brain drain is not the one boarding planes — it’s the one we’re ignoring at home. And no generation is spared.

Shashi Tharoor at THE WEEK's Education Conclave in New Delhi demands change in the Indian education system and revolutionary moments in students' lives.

Lok Sabha member and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, in his speech at THE WEEK's Education Conclave in New Delhi, presented a devastating critique of India's education and jobs landscape, and sought another revolution of the mind to help Gen Z. Moderated by Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor and Director, THE WEEK, the session broached topics as varied as parents imposing unnecessary pressures on kids to professional choices to the age-old one of brain drain and English having a bearing on aspirations.

Stable jobs are a relic of the past

Tharoor went on to describe how social and family ambitions used to neatly define career life in India. "There was a period when parents were very reluctant for their children to leave the traditional streams of engineering, medicine, or the civil services," he remembered. "When I informed my teacher that I wanted to pursue the arts, my teacher actually called up my parents and requested an explanation. But my father accepted."

Gen Z today, though, is writing the book differently. "The concept of job security has totally changed," said Tharoor. "Kids today are digital entrepreneurs, conducting data marketing, making reels, connecting businesses. Secure jobs, as we knew them, no longer. They are more entrepreneurial and considerably less committed to the idea of a lifetime employer."

Careers with a cause

Tharoor maintained that a career should, ultimately, be mission-driven. "The real satisfaction is when you are making a difference," he stated. "When you go to bed at night, you should know that you've done something that makes the world a better place." 

Here Tharoor drew a contrast between his life within and beyond the United Nations with his time as MP for Thiruvananthapuram. "In that UN, I was working directly with the refugees and I could see the output of my work. That's not happening here at Thiruvananthapuram. The bypass road connecting Tamil Nadu project had been waiting for 40 years when I joined this organization in 2009. We would chase all the departments to finish it. That was the pre-Gadkari times; you will chase the government for everything," he said, explaining how the governance always occurs in the form of sheer years of patience.

Brain drain: hope and challenges

On the age-old issue of brain drain, Tharoor concurred that India continues to lose its most talented brains overseas. "Whole graduating classes of IITs used to be heading straight to the US," he concurred. "But I also see hope.". When I was the Education Minister, I encountered one Muslim student of IIT Indore who has declined very prestigious foreign scholarships in astrophysics just so he could stay in India and stay with his guru. There are several such tales nowadays. Our young professionals today are far better equipped to stay or return, but we still do not have adequate jobs to fulfill their aspirations.

He also talked about reasons other than economic that compel individuals out. "We can't close our eyes to the social context. Cases of moral policing, especially against young men and women in urban areas like Bengaluru, lead some to violate the prohibitions that they imagine they would have to endure at home," cautioned Tharoor.

Changing tracks from exam fever

One of the other dramatic changes Tharoor advocated was to de-emphasize the excessive reliance on exams at universities. "Exams are not the only proof of knowledge," he argued. "We need to teach children how to think, and not what to think. Our students need to be taught how to question, challenge and innovate."

He also called for progressive changes in college life, particularly in hostel rules likely to impose tougher curfews for women. "We want campuses where young people—particularly women—are respected and treated as equals," he stated.

English and Hinglish: conforming to language realities

Tharoor, a good orator and author, was candid about the English language. "English is second language to all Indians, and in a more globalised world, the language of communication," he asserted.

He continued to add that the language itself is changing with a generational twist. "Gen Z has come up with a new hybrid—Hinglish—that shows how language transcends culture. We need to accept it and not resist it. It's an instrument of opportunity and bonding, not a symbol of colonialism."

A call for revolutionary change

Session ended, Tharoor held his ground in asserting that the education system of India should foster curiosity, imagination, and confidence and not test-takers. "We are living in times when AI and automation will be replacing jobs. If we continue to teach children by rote, we will be driving them into nothing," he insisted.

Tharoor's message was blunt: India's youth already are making their own way, but the dynamism of their movement must be supplemented with structural change, greater productivity, reduced state, and the capacity to keep up with shifting cultural and linguistic trends.

"The purpose of education is not employment, but learning to live," Tharoor said.

The WEEK Education Conclave 2025, "World Class Student. Made in India," will see scholars, scientists, technologists, and policy makers debate if one should create an Indian student ecosystem world-class to compete with anyone globally.

In an effort to bridge academia and industry and provide students actual career opportunities, Alva's Education Foundation is presenting the 15th Alva's Pragati, a two-day mega job fair on August 1 and 2, 2025, at Alva's College Vidyagiri Campus.

Ever since its launch in the year 2007, Alva's Pragati has become India's largest free placement drive, indicative of the institution's dedication to corporate social responsibility. With more than 300 organizations and more than 16,000 job openings this year, the event is set to be even larger compared to last year. Postgraduates, graduates, diploma holders, and mid-level professionals from any field are eligible to apply.

Information technology, ITeS, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, hospitality, telecommunication, sales, media, construction, and non-governmental organizations are some of the areas catered to. 

"This is not a jobs fair but a platform which fills the education-employment gap down," said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao during the inaugural ceremony. Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.L. Dharma also said, "Job designations today are going through a rapid change, and such events make academic learning meet practical requirements."

The recruitment fair is complimentary for the companies and candidates. To enable free travel, the foundation is offering free boarding for outstation candidates from July 31 and free bus travel to ITI students of Dakshina Kannada district.

Next applicants must register online at www.alvaspragati.com and upload documents like passport size photos, resume copies, mark sheets, and registration numbers. Other organizations who wish to be a part can also register online on the above website.

Through Alva's Pragati 2025, the foundation reiterates its mission to empower youth, prevent unemployment, and bring career dreams to fruition – opportunity by opportunity.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will launch an unprecedented AI-based accreditation system in August, doing away with old-fashioned physical checks in favor of digital authentication and machine learning-based evaluation. The move is intended to simplify the accreditation process, improve transparency, and reach a coverage of more than 90% of higher education institutions (HEIs) in India within the next five years.

NAAC Chairman Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe made the announcement that the new mechanism will do away with peer team visits, which used to result in delays and issues of integrity. The mechanism will instead be based on verified documents, AI-based data analysis, and crowdsourced stakeholder input.

The reforms draw from proposals by a committee headed by former ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan, established in November 2022 to overhaul India's accreditation system. At present, a paltry 40% of Indian universities and 18% of colleges are NAAC-accredited. The new framework aims to fill this vacuum while maintaining credibility.

Two-Tier Accreditation: Basic & Maturity-Based Graded Levels

The overhauled framework consists of two major features:

Basic Accreditation – Institutions would either be graded as "Accredited" or "Not Accredited" on the basis of performance on 55 parameters for universities, 50 for autonomous colleges, and 40 for affiliated colleges. Minimum pass scores of 50% for universities, 45% for autonomous colleges, and 40% for affiliated colleges are prescribed.

Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation (Levels 1 to 5) – Institutions can choose higher levels after obtaining basic accreditation, where the parameters become more complex. Currently accredited institutions (with A, A+, or A++ grades) can directly apply for maturity-based levels.

Note: Physical visits will be done only from Level 3 and above, in hybrid (online + on-site) mode to reduce risks of manipulation.

AI & Stakeholder Verification Ensure Transparency

One such significant innovation is the AI-driven credibility rating system:

Institutions provide documents, and AI cross-verification is done using machine learning.

A randomly chosen panel of 100+ stakeholders (faculty members, industry professionals, retired venture capitalists, NGOs) authenticates.

Every institution begins with a default credibility rating of 0.5, which goes up on validation or comes down in case of inconsistency.

Institutions providing forged documents are banned for accreditation for three years.

Foreign institutions that set up campuses here will also be made eligible for NAAC accreditation under this new system. The new system should be operational from August.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday stated that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is the first serious attempt to decolonise the nation's education system. Arlekar added that the nation was progressing with a "colonial thought" until now.

"Our entire thought process was transformed due to the previous education system. We did not even notice when it came into our family lives. We are now trying to move out of that colonization," he said, and called on all to be a part of the revolution in the education sector.

The Governor, addressing the national education conference, 'Gyan Sabha', organised by RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas in Kochi, said that the Narendra Modi government's education policy was "different from what has been taught to us for all these years".

He said that India was 'Vishwa Guru' when it achieved independence and even today.

"But we could not claim it then. When we attained independence, it was political freedom only," he said, maintaining that Bharat could once more turn out to be the 'Vishwa Guru' if the new education policy is adopted.

"The question is, do you want to be part of the change," he said.

Speaking at the meeting, which consisted of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Mohan Bhagwat, Arlekar further stated that Viksit Bharat was not solely an economic philosophy but "a wholesome development of the entire society and not just a particular section of it.".