Bengaluru, (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday recollected fond memories of his school teacher who persuaded him to rejoin school after he had dropped out.

He was speaking at a programme organised by the department of public instruction on the occasion of Teacher’s Day.

“If Rajappa master had not got me readmitted to school, I would not have been standing before you as the chief minister,” Siddaramaiah said.

He felicitated winners of the state-level best teacher award and launched the ‘Guruchetana’ teacher training programme.

“I did not attend school and I had, instead, joined a Veeragase group in the village. Then, Rajappa came to the village school as the headmaster. He went from house to house, looking for children who had dropped out. He persuaded my father and got me admitted directly to class V. If not for him, I would not have gone to school and not have become the chief minister,” he recollected.

The Veeragase instructors had taught him alphabets and basic Maths by making him write on sand. After he joined class V, he learnt English alphabets and Kannada grammar.

“Even if one does not have aim or ambition, it is alright, as long as one he or she has a teacher to provide guidance and show the way. Teachers should inspire students,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said he used to score poorly in English and Social Science, not scoring more than 35 marks in these subjects. “But I was number 1 in Mathematics and Science,” he said.