HE has always been focused on his young wards at school.
His desire to ensure his students had a solid foundation on which to further their studies drove him to do the best he could to facilitate this.
It still motivates Tuva Indian School head teacher, Jai Ram.
This is his 30th year of teaching but it does not feel as long, he says. Perhaps it's because he truly enjoys his work.
Mr Jai was nominated by his colleague, Firozullah Khan.
He said Mr Ram has been an inspiration for the teachers at school.
"He has worked hard to achieve the standard that the school now maintains and we teachers have learnt a lot from him," he said.
Interestingly, Mr Ram shares that he never really planned to take up teaching as a career.
He recalls that during a class activity in Form Six at Nadi College, his teacher Dr Saukat Ali asked what they careers they wished to pursue.
Without giving it much thought, he replied "a primary school teacher".
It was almost prophetic because "since then, I have not looked back," he said.
" I came from a very poor family from Valley Road and have had to work hard to achieve my goals," he shared.
The hard work included years of teaching in the Mamanucas.
He was the only Indian teacher posted to Namamanuca Primary School then.
It was a sharp change in setting, but it did not worry Mr Ram so much.
The transition paid off in more ways than he could have imagined because it was where he fell in love and settled.
"My wife comes from the same place, from the village of Yanuya and we have two sons," he said.
Mr Ram admits that his first years in the Mamanucas could have been harder if it was not for his wife's family. They were always helpful, ensuring that he had a good feed after a hard day of work. At the time though, he was a bachelor.
Eventually, he became acquainted with his wife and their friendship blossomed into love.
"We informed our parents about our love and there was no objection from either family or the village people," he said.
Mr Ram continued to teach in the islands until 18 years later, when they shifted to the main land.
He says Tuva Indian School has a roll of 384 students and a dedicated team of teachers.
Their dedication, he says, led to the school's facilities being improved, including the building of a multipurpose hall.
Mr Ram said teachers nowadays should be mindful that parents are facing difficulty in sending their children to school; he added it was the teacher's responsibility to make learning a smooth and worthwhile experience for the children.
"I have children so I understand what a parent might be going through, I treat every child as my own when they come to school and I urge teachers to help them to prepare well for their further studies," he said.
