New Delhi. Happiness labs, home-based education journeys, prevention of child marriage and automatic school bells made from recycled materials are among the achievements for which 82 teachers from across the country have received the National Teachers Award. The awards were presented by President Draupadi Murmu here on Thursday.
Chandralekha Damodar Mestry, a teacher at Satyavati Soiru Angle Higher Secondary School in South Goa, was honoured for bridging the language gap among students. She developed innovative, low-cost teaching aids and visited people door-to-door with books and stationery to inculcate interest in learning. Sagar Chittaranjan Bagde, a teacher at South S.M. Lohia High School and Junior College in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, organised several social programmes to raise awareness on issues affecting orphans, tribals, young HIV patients and persons with disabilities.
According to her citation, “She also organised several folk dance and dance drama performances, giving students the opportunity to perform internationally in 226 countries. This has been recognised as a world record by the Asia Pacific Book of World Records.” K Suma from Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been given the award for her dedication to improving the infrastructure of government schools and increasing enrolment.
Meenakshi Kumari of Shiv Ganga Girls Plus Two High School in Madhubani, Bihar has promoted community participation by involving parents in improving school outcomes such as providing clean uniforms, sanitary pads and drinking water facilities.
According to her citation, “She has published over 50 stories and poems and successfully advocated against child marriage, preventing 20 cases.” Hukam Chand Choudhary, a government school teacher from Rajasthan, was awarded for creating low-cost project-based technologies, including an automatic school bell made from recycled materials and an AI-powered chatbot to answer queries on WhatsApp.
Pallavi Sharma, principal of Mamta Modern Senior Secondary School here, received the award for her initiatives including a mathematics and science park, a basic literacy and numeracy laboratory and ‘KhushiShala’ – a laboratory for being happy.
The National Teacher Awards are presented every year to celebrate the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who through their commitment and dedication have not only improved the quality of education but also enriched the lives of their students. Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a silver medal. The awardees will also get an opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister.