President Draupadi Murmu awarded the National Teacher Award 2024 to seven state teachers during a ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan. Honorees included Sunita Godha, Madhav Prasad Patel, and unita Gupta from the Department of School Education and Literacy; Prof. Neelabh Tiwari and Prof. Kapil Ahuja from the Department of Higher Education; and Premlata Rahangdale and Prashant Dixit, who were recognized by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Sunita Godha was recognized for fostering a positive environment at Government High School, Khajuria Sarang, District Mandsaur. She has cultivated a welcoming classroom atmosphere through engaging assignments and activities, which have improved student attendance. Godha consistently conducted parent-teacher meetings (PTMs), provided individual attention to students, and dedicated herself to increasing enrollment among students with special needs and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Madhav Prasad Patel is a science teacher at Government Naveen Madhyamik School, Lidhora, District Damoh. He has built a science wall in his school where students can display their curiosity. To develop the habit of reading in rural communities, he has started a mobile library by carrying books on a motorcycle. Through learning boards and khet pathshala, he has taken education beyond the classroom.
Sunita Gupta, a Mathematics teacher at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in District Dindori, has made the subject more accessible by creating low-cost teaching materials and utilizing animated videos and technology. She has developed e-content and video scripts for platforms like DIKSHA and SWAYAM, enhancing the understanding of solid shapes.
Neelabh Tiwari, Head of the Education Department at Rashtriya Sanskrit Sanstha, Bhopal, has been teaching for 18 years and has made notable contributions to the National Education Policy 2020. He edited 34 books and authored 37 research papers, significantly advancing the psychology and curriculum development of Indian knowledge traditions in Sanskrit studies and education.
Prof. Kapil Ahuja of IIT Indore has 14 years of experience in teaching in the US. Along with research and investigation in computer science and engineering, he has given new dimensions to education by starting the first MS course in IIT. He has also been awarded the Best Teacher Award four times by IIT Indore.
Training Officer of Bhopal's Divisional ITI, Premlata Rahangdale has imparted skill training to visually impaired students in Computer Operator and Programming Assistant trade. With her effective guidance, many ITI students have made their career in reputed institutions like railways and banks.
