‘Little reporters’ to QR-coded trees: 82 teachers felicitated with national award

This year's National Teachers' Awards honored 82 educators for their innovative approaches to teaching. President Droupadi Murmu felicitated the recipients during Teachers Day celebrations. The awardees represented various educational levels, including primary schools, higher educational institutions, polytechnics, and skill development centers.

48 awardees were from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 from higher education institutions and polytechnics, while 13 were skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

President Murmu emphasized the vital role teachers play in achieving equality of opportunity, as outlined in the Constitution. She highlighted the significant reduction in primary school dropout rates, attributing it to teachers' dedication. Murmu stressed that teachers breathe life into the education system and must ensure no student is deprived of quality education.

She discussed the importance of education in fostering knowledge, inspiration, morality, and sensitivity. Additionally, Murmu touched upon skill development, expressing the goal of transforming India into the skill capital of the world and a knowledge superpower.

Among the award recipients was Dr. Archana Shukla from Government Mahatma Gandhi Sandipani Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh. She was recognized for her project-based learning, ecological stewardship, and low-cost student initiatives. These include installing over 1,000 sparrow houses and digitally mapping 102 species of campus trees using QR codes.

Sunita Yadav from Government Middle School in Chhattisgarh's Khichdi received the award for her community initiative, Nyota Bhojan, which now spans statewide, along with her home reading campaign, Ghar Ghar Pustak Vachan. Serving since 2008, Yadav's teaching methods empower rural students to become "Little Reporters," conducting interviews with officials, creating educational videos, audiobooks, and short films.

Divyendu Sen from Mahatma Gandhi Government School in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, was honored for developing the Virtual Biology Laboratory, AI-enabled biology education, and the "Tree Talk" QR-code-based botanical learning system. These tools make advanced STEM education accessible in government schools.

Other awardees included Dr. Renu Tripathi from Balika Inter College in Ghaziabad, UP, for her holistic development of girls through tech-enabled and inclusive learning. Ravi Jaiswal from Government Model High School in Chandigarh received the award for creating low-cost and scalable solutions. Kunda Jayawant Bachhav from Nashik, Maharashtra, was recognized for her "Educational Parenting" initiative.