NEW DELHI: Innovative initiatives in education, such as gamified assessments, efforts to combat child marriages, and the creation of eco-friendly school bells, have earned National Teachers Awards for 82 educators nationwide. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards in a ceremony held on Thursday.
Among the honorees is Chandralekha Damodar Mestri, from Satyawati Soiru Angle Higher Secondary School in South Goa. Mestri has been recognized for her work in bridging language barriers for first-generation learners, developing affordable teaching resources, and conducting home visits to foster educational engagement.
Sagar Chittaranjan Bagade of Sou S. M. Lohia High School and Junior College in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, received accolades for his extensive social awareness campaigns, including initiatives for orphans, tribal communities, and individuals with disabilities. He also organized folk dance and ballet performances, earning a place in the Asia Pacific Book of World Records for providing international exposure to students.
K Suma, a teacher from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was honoured for her commitment to enhancing school infrastructure and boosting student enrollment. Her contributions include promoting health through yoga and supporting inclusive education with regular home visits.
Minakshi Kumari of Shiv Ganga Girls Plus 2 High School in Madhubani, Bihar, has been acknowledged for her efforts in community involvement, such as improving school amenities and advocating against child marriage. Her advocacy has resulted in preventing 20 child marriages and increasing girls' participation in academics and sports.
Hukam Chand Chaudhary, a Rajasthan government school teacher, was celebrated for his innovative, low-cost educational tools, including a recycled-material automated school bell and an AI-driven WhatsApp chatbot for student queries.
Pallavi Sharma, Principal of Mamta Modern Senior Secondary School, was recognized for her development of educational initiatives such as a Maths and Science Park, a Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Laboratory, and "Khushishala," a happiness lab. Her work includes creating 916 audiobooks for visually impaired students and designing tactile learning materials.
Mantaiah Chinni Bedke, a teacher at ZP Upper Primary Digital School in Jajavandi, Maharashtra, received praise for her creation of cost-effective teaching aids, including a "speaking wall" to enhance vocabulary through visual and textual interaction.
Narasimha Murthy H K of Daffodils English School in Sanjaynagar, Karnataka, was honored for his engaging teaching methods, which include problem-solving tasks, Sudoku, IT expos, project-based learning, and gamified educational activities like treasure hunts and Minecraft Education.
The National Teachers Awards celebrate the exceptional contributions of teachers who have significantly enhanced educational quality and impacted their students' lives. Each awardee receives a certificate of merit, a cash prize of Rs 50,000, and a silver medal, with the opportunity to engage with the Prime Minister.
This year, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, selected 50 teachers through a transparent, multi-stage process at the district, state, and national levels. The selected teachers represent 28 states, three Union Territories, and six organizations, including a diverse group of 34 males, 16 females, two differently-abled individuals, and one teacher working with Children with Special Needs (CWSN).
In addition to school teachers, 16 educators from the Department of Higher Education and another 16 from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will also be honored, reflecting the expanded scope of the awards introduced last year.