As the international community observes World Teachers Day on Saturday, President Asif Ali Zardari urged the countrymen to reaffirm their commitment to empowering the teachers, besides ensuring their respect and recognition. “On this day, let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering our teachers and ensuring that they receive the respect, support, and recognition they deserve. Let’s commit to improving our education system by investing in the capacity building and professional development of our teachers,” the president said in his message to the nation on the Day. He said the teachers were the architects of any society as they helped nurture young minds and the Day was meant to celebrate the contributions of teachers in shaping our future generations. “Capable teachers inculcate critical thinking, creativity, and ethical values in their students, helping them become responsible and productive citizens. They should help in the moral development of students by promoting ethical values, love, tolerance, mutual respect and brotherhood,” he stressed. The president also acknowledged the challenges being faced by teachers, including inadequate training and lack of professional development opportunities. He said that there was a dire need to equip our teachers with the tools to successfully fulfill their responsibilities. “We need to set standards for teachers’ recruitment, continuous education, training, and certification. A comprehensive monitoring and performance evaluation system is essential to improving the educational outcomes of our schools. We also need to provide a better working environment to teachers so that they can committedly discharge their duties,” the president said. He viewed that the experiences of the teachers could also be very useful in improving our education system. We believe that a workforce of well-trained and respected teachers is essential for building a more civilized and educated society, he added.