Shimla, Sep 5 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat on Saturday advocated the need to promote Sanskrit by teaching it till class 12 in all schools.

"Sanskrit is the epitome of our culture and the rich literature of the country is available in this language. It should be promoted in order to bring awareness in young generation about our glorious traditional heritage," Devvrat said at a state-level function here to mark Teachers' Day.

The governor said teachers influence the minds of students, therefore, they could motivate children to stay away from drugs and intoxicants for creating a drug-free society.

He also asked the teachers to educate the students on the value of cleanliness.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the teachers played an important role in shaping society.

"The children should not only be educated but should be cultured enough and the onus of shaping their destiny rests upon the teaching fraternity."

The chief minister said the state was committed to provide education to every child, even if they happened to reside in remote and inaccesible areas.