Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today presented the first ever AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020 to 12 faculty members of AICTE approved institutes on the occasion of Engineers Day. The event was organised in virtual mode and the faculty members were felicitated by the Minister through online interaction.<br />'' <br />'' Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said, Sir M Visvesvaraya was a pioneer of Engineering in India. Visvesvaraya was one of the most eminent Engineers and Statesmen of India, whose contribution to the advancement of the country is unforgettable. He was awarded the highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna' in 1955 for his indispensable contribution to nation-building.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Pokhriyal said that to realise the ideals set by stalwarts like Visveshvaraya, the Ministry of Education has come up with the National education policy 2020 through which a holistic and multidisciplinary education will be encouraged in higher education. However, the most important factor in the success of higher education institutions is the quality and engagement of its faculty. He said, acknowledging the criticality of faculty in achieving the goals of higher education, various initiatives have been introduced in the past several years to systemise recruitment and career progression and to ensure equitable representation from various groups in the hiring of faculty.<br />'' <br />'' Highlighting the AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020, the Minister said that the Awards has been introduced for the first time to identify extraordinary teachers and recognize their excellence, best practice and innovativeness in the field of higher technical education at national level for Degree and Diploma institutions.<br />'' <br />'' This scheme is aimed to recognize the meritorious faculties on the Engineer's Day every year at National level and encourage them to themselves to the ever changing needs of higher education at global level and thereby becoming an effective contributor towards the society.<br />''