New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu will confer National Awards to Teachers (NAT) on 21 teachers/faculties of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and polytechnics on September 5, observed as Teachers’ Day, an official said on Monday.
This year, 12 teachers/faculties from central HEIs, five from state universities including three government and two private colleges, and four from polytechnics including two government and two private polytechnics, have been selected for the Awards, it said.
Nominations for NAT, 2026 were invited in the online mode through Rashtriya Puraskar Portal – @www.awards.gov.in and included provisions for self, institutional and peer nomination as part of Jan Bhagidari. Nominations were invited from May 26 to July 20, 2026, it said.
The Award is conferred on exemplary teachers/faculty members, and the selection is based on their performance, as adjudged against several parameters including teaching-learning effectiveness, outreach activities, research and innovation, and sponsored research/faculty development programmes/consultancy teaching.
The selection procedure involves a two-step process: Evaluation by a Preliminary Search-cum Screening Committee for initial shortlisting of nominees and selection of awardees from the shortlisted nominees by a Committee of Jury, the statement said.
It was in 2023 that it was decided to institute two categories of awards for HEIs and polytechnics under the umbrella of the National Awards to Teachers. Till then, the awards were conferred on school teachers only, it said.
The ambit of the Awards was expanded to align with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, which envisaged that incentives such as rewards and recognitions must be conferred to cultivate a culture of excellence in the education ecosystem.
As an annual tradition, the Ministry of Education organises a national-level function on Teachers’ Day, observed on September 5 every year, to confer the National Awards on the best teachers of the country.
The purpose of the National Teachers’ Awards is to celebrate the unique contribution of some of the finest teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who, through their commitment and industry, have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.
–IANS
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