BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s Iswar Chandra Nayak is among 46 teachers from across the country to receive the prestigious National Award for Teachers-2022 from President Droupadi Murmu on September 5. This was announced by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education on Thursday. A textile engineer turned teacher and author, Nayak has been teaching students at the Government Upper Primary School in Kanapur, Puri district, for the last 22 years as an assistant teacher. He is also a State resource person for the School and Mass Education department.
An alumnus of the Institution of Engineers, Kolkata, and Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT), Varanasi, 50-year-old Nayak was chosen for the coveted annual award conferred by the Ministry for his academic and non-academic publications.
Hailing from Bangurush Patana village in Puri district, he has authored 18 books including many on the textile heritage of Odisha and the school education system. His last book, ‘Aliaru A Aa’, published in 2021, deals with ways to bring marginalised children back to school.
Having worked as a textile engineer for six years at private establishments across the country, Nayak decided to return to Puri in 2001 to teach children. “I worked for many companies in the 90s but that did not bring me peace and job satisfaction. So I decided to return to my native to teach children and also academically contribute towards promotion of the textile heritage of our State,” said Nayak, who had received the State Teachers Award of the Odisha government in 2016.
He completed a Bachelor of Education degree and joined as an assistant teacher in Kanapur Government School in 2001. The teacher has also set up a students’ knowledge centre in his village in 2017 where free computer education and career counselling are being provided to all students in the village.
Despite his school stint, he continued to write books on textiles. In fact, his book ‘Weaves in Textiles’ has been included as a reference book in 10 IIHTs across the country. “For me, education and textiles go hand in hand. Both are equally important,” said Nayak who runs YouTube channels ‘Teachers Odia’ imparting lessons on teachers' training and ‘Chemistry Ganga’ to clear chemistry fundamentals of students.