New Delhi, Sep 5 : Emphasising that the Government is committed to providing quality education to all our children, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Monday said the Right to Education legislation has the potential to transform schools and the lives of children.

Addressing the National Award winning teachers here today, Dr. Singh said: "The Right to Education legislation that we have enacted has the potential to transform our schools and the lives of our children. The implementation of this legislation is not just a matter of providing more resources; it is the dedication and commitment of our teachers that will ultimately help us to achieve its goals and objectives."

Emphasising that the teachers have a critical role to play in shaping the future of India, Dr. Singh urged them to develop in children the ability to contribute to the society and the processes of nation building.

"Teachers have a very critical role to play in shaping the future of India. It is they who inculcate moral values in our children and inspire them to high ideals of patriotism, communal harmony and commitment to the cause of social justice," he said.

"It is they who awaken in children the hunger for knowledge. They have the power to develop in our children the ability to contribute to our society and the processes of nation building," he added.

Emphasising that while educating children and young adults, we must maintain a balance between tradition and modernity, Dr. Singh said: "As teachers you will need to ensure that our unique cultural heritage is preserved while preparing the children for global citizenship."

"Our effort should be to inculcate in the children not only high moral values but also progressive, rational attitudes which enable them to compete with others in the globalized world that we live in," he added. (ANI)