Officiating the Kota Marudu Teachers Day celebration here, he said the teaching profession was dynamic and constantly evolving thereby placing demand on teachers to upgrade themselves or else they would face the risk of becoming irrelevant.

“Teaching is a profession that involves continuous learning and re-learning. Its impact on society is long term and long lasting,” he said. “Teachers are therefore key nation builders.”

Dr Maximus who is Science and Technology Advisor to the Chief Minister said in order to upgrade the quality of teaching in schools, teachers must be goal-drive and seek to be a ‘gold mine’ of knowledge.

“To be a gold mine of knowledge, we must make a profession out of teaching and teaching as a profession cannot be treated like just another job or source of income,” he said. “Teachers have direct impact on the lives of children and young people and therefore the future of the nation.”

Dr Maximus said in the era of globalisation, the challenges for teachers to upgrade their skills were demanding especially with the evolution in teaching methods and academic content brought about by information and communication technology.

He thanked all teachers in the district for their contributions in uplifting the standard of living of the Kota Marudu people. “The surest way to improve the livelihood of a community is still through education.”

Dr Maximus also presented various Teachers Day awards to the recipients, including Hajah Rosinah bte Yahya who won the Tokoh Guru award.