The list of 81 teachers who received the National Teachers’ Awards reveals a spectrum of India’s classrooms — from remote mountain hamlets to high-tech university labs. Here’s a look at some of those teachers whose efforts were recognised by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday:
In Rohini’s Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya, Awadhesh Kumar Jha launched Dil ki Baat to give children a safe space to speak without fear of judgment. He also established a Zero Waste Citizen Bank to promote recycling, a Shobhit Reading Room that stays open 12 hours a day year-round, and even a Stress Buster Room during the pandemic.
The Heart-to-Heart Lounge he created focuses on personality development, time management, communication skills, and meditation — a recognition that socio-emotional learning is as vital as textbooks. Speaking to The Indian Express, Jha said ““I am thrilled to have received this award but am also aware that now, after receiving it, I have much more responsibility of delivering better to my students,” Jha said
Jha, who originally hails from Bihar, has been living in Delhi since 1986 and has been a teacher associated with the Delhi government schools since 1994. In 2015, he became the head of school at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Sector 8, Rohini and later in 2023, became the school’s principal.
Ganesh Timanna Pandit (Delhi)
In the higher education category, Ganesh Timanna Pandit, Professor at the Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi, was felicitated for his contribution to Sanskrit pedagogy and scholarship. He has been recognised for developing instructional material for Shiksha Shastri students, supervised doctoral work, and contributed to research projects and faculty development programmes.
“In India, individualism has little meaning— what matters is nationalism and the unity of Bharati” he said. Explaining that every state has its own regional language….Kannada in Karnataka, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Hindi across much of northern India—yet the deeper identity of India rests on Bharati, the original name of Sanskrit, which permeates every corner of the subcontinent.” he added.
Narinder Singh (Punjab)
At Government Primary School Jandiali in Ludhiana, Punjab, Narinder Singh inherited a failing institution with crumbling infrastructure. Rather than accept the decline, he rallied parents, alumni, and local stakeholders to create a new vision. The result: 15 new classrooms, an IT Park, a smart library, a math park, an herbal garden, and even a traffic training park.
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Working “12 to 16 hours daily,” Singh has overseen more than a 20 percent annual increase in enrollment. His efforts have transformed the school into what the citation calls a “holistic educational ecosystem”
Shashi Paul (Himachal Pradesh)
From a primary school in Shamror, Solan in Himachal Pradesh, Shashi Paul created opportunities where resources were scarce. His methods include multi-grade strategies, joyful learning with low-cost aids, and structured sports training that helped students reach state-level championships in chess and badminton.
He mobilized NGOs and local clubs to build ICT and experiential labs and developed English workbooks for his students. The outcome: improved enrolment, higher attendance, and even pathways for children from underprivileged families.
Dr Debayan Sarkar (IIT Indore, Madhya Pradesh)
A faculty member of chemistry at IIT Indore, Dr. Debayan Sarkar heads the Centre for Rural Development and Technology. His teaching uses 3D models to simplify complex concepts, but his impact extends beyond campus.
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He has pioneered student-village interfaces to connect learning with rural needs, including innovations like “Visible Light Food Storage Technology” designed for small and marginal farmers. His work, rooted in both research and social application, has found recognition in journals of national and international repute.
Prof Sanket Goel (BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus)
At BITS Pilani’s Hyderabad campus, Professor Sanket Goel has blurred the lines between classroom and industry. Founder of the MEMS, Microfluidics and Nanoelectronics Lab, and head of the Center for Research Excellence in Semiconductor Technologies, his teaching weaves together innovation, research, and entrepreneurship.
He has mentored more than 2,000 learners and co-founded three spin-offs — Cleome, Pyrome, and Sensome. His pedagogy emphasizes industry-aligned, lab-intensive courses, giving students direct exposure to cleanroom practices, design sprints, and advanced simulations.
Prof Vijayalaxmi J (School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada)
A faculty member at SPA Vijayawada, Prof. Vijayalaxmi J specializes in climate-responsive architecture and sustainable design. Her teaching combines real-world “live” projects, lab-based material testing, and passive design modeling.
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She has authored and edited books, created SWAYAM courses on sustainable architecture, and even designed introductory programs for schoolchildren to build early awareness of environmental design. Her work exemplifies how architecture education can serve both students and the larger challenge of sustainability.
