President Droupadi Murmu will confer the National Teachers’ Awards 2026 on 48 school teachers at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on September 5, marking Teachers’ Day. According to the official Ministry of Education announcement, the teachers were chosen through district, state and national-level screening after online self-nominations.
The group represents 27 states, seven Union Territories and six Central Government organisations, with 26 men and 22 women selected. Short documentaries on each awardee’s work will also be screened during the ceremony.
Key Highlights
- President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards on September 5, 2026, at Vigyan Bhawan.
- Forty-eight school teachers have been selected for the National Teachers’ Awards 2026.
- The school awardees include 26 men and 22 women from across India.
- Selection took place through district, state, and national stages after online nominations.
- Doordarshan, SWAYAM PRABHA and the Ministry’s webcast platform will carry the ceremony live.
Who Are The 48 National Teachers’ Awards 2026 School Awardees?
The official list of National Teachers’ Awards 2026 winners includes J Prakash Rao, Rajesh Kouluri, Yaku Tame, Rajesh Bordoloi, Khushboo Kumari, Pushpa Prasad, Radha Rajesh, Sangeeta Yadav, Ravi Jaiswal, Sunita Yadav, Patel Purnima Mohanlal and Suman Goel among the first twelve awardees.
The remaining names include Md Zafar Alam, Mahadev Hanamant Shinde, Nitinkumar Mahendrakumar Pathak, Anil Kaushik, Manjari V Mahajan, Mohd Ayaz Raina, Munmun Bhattacherjee, Rathnakumari S, Amutha J, Dr Manisha Khetrapal, Sunil Kumar KP, Mohd Mustafa Kumal, Dr Archana Shukla and Shailendra Pratap Singh.
Also selected are Dr Kavita Narsingrao Gitte, Kunda Jayawant Bachhav, Wanglembam Gobin Singh, Lalnunmawii, R Ronald Meru, Vaibhav Vasantrao Kulkarni, Padaraj Umakanta Nayak, Ganesan S, Dinesh Kumar, Dr Divyendu Sen, Dr Vartika Gulat and Shivprasad Arvind Tingare.
Completing the list are Sushma Tamang, Thanga Raj M, Bhavani Bompelly, Ranjan Debnath, Dr Renu Tripathi, Dr Iftkhar Khan, Shalini Kushwaha, Gabar Singh, Palash Chowdhury and Santanu Patra. The government says the published list does not represent an order of merit.
The winners come from government schools alongside institutions linked to CBSE, CISCE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Eklavya Model Residential Schools and Sainik Schools.
Geographically, Uttar Pradesh has three school awardees, while Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal have two each. KVS also has two recipients. Names from Mayabunder, Naharlagun, Jorhat, Sankoo, Sabroom and Nayagram show how far the 2026 honours travel beyond India’s largest education centres.
How Were The Teachers Chosen, And What Happens On September 5?
Self-nominations were invited from June 15 to July 20 through the National Teachers’ Awards portal. The final 48 emerged after district, state, and national reviews. Current eligibility rules cover regular teachers and school heads from recognised government, aided, and eligible private schools. Assessment also looks at areas including innovative teaching, technology, learning materials, community participation and student progress.
The ceremony will include short films highlighting individual winners. Those unable to attend can follow the programme through Doordarshan, SWAYAM PRABHA or the Ministry of Education live webcast.
The Ministry also announced the school awards through its official X post on National Teachers’ Awards 2026. A newer September 3 update says the wider ceremony will recognise 48 school teachers, 21 higher-education and polytechnic teachers, and 13 awardees from the skill-development stream, bringing the broader group to 82 educators.
The cross-sector format follows the expansion of the national awards beyond school education. Higher-education and skill-development teachers were brought under the wider awards umbrella from 2023.
Teachers’ Day falls on September 5, the birth anniversary of former President and teacher Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. For this year’s 48 school winners, classroom and community work has now travelled from local selection panels to the President’s stage.
FAQs
Who will present the National Teachers’ Awards 2026?
President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi on September 5.
How many school teachers were selected in 2026?
Forty-eight school teachers were selected from states, Union Territories and Central Government organisations across India.
How were the 48 teachers selected?
They passed district, state and national-level screening after teachers submitted online self-nominations for consideration nationwide.
Where can viewers watch the ceremony live?
Viewers can watch through Doordarshan, SWAYAM PRABHA, the Ministry webcast, and social media channels live.
Are the 48 names ranked by merit?
No, the Ministry states that its published list is not arranged in any merit order.
