New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Pained over the death of an Ujjain professor who was beaten up by students, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday urged parents to teach their children to value the saying "Acharyan Devo Bhava" (teacher is god).

"I urge every parent in our country to teach their children the value of the idea of 'Acharya Devo Bhava'," Manmohan Singh said while addressing the National Award winning teachers here ahead of Teacher's Day that falls on Tuesday.

Expressing his concern over the growing "cross commercialism and anti-social behaviour" that is overtaking the country's educational institutions, he said: "This year, on Teachers' Day, I want every child, every student, every parent, every citizen to chant those ancient words of wisdom and pledge that we will never show disrespect to our teachers."

Manmohan Singh said he was "deeply pained" at the Ujjain incident last week.

"I am also pained by incidents of disrespectful behaviour by students and some anti-social elements, who pretend to be students," he said.

The prime minister, who was a teacher at the Delhi School of Economics, urged the teachers to uphold the best traditions of excellence and commitment to knowledge that they expected from their teachers.

"I want every teacher to also take a pledge to impart knowledge to their students without fear or favour, committed to the best and highest traditions of learning."

"India needs good, hardworking, honest teachers, and caring teachers. In turn, we must show respect to our teachers, take good care of them, offer them a status that recognises their great contribution to society and to the processes of nation-building," Manmohan Singh said.

Pointing out that his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was committed to improving infrastructure in education, the reformist prime minister said there was need to initiate reform in curricula, the examination system and the development of textbooks in the states at all levels of school education.