Delhi school principal Awadhesh Kumar Jha selected for National Teachers' Award 2025

New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Awadhesh Kumar Jha, the principal of a government school in Delhi's Rohini, is the only teacher from the national capital among the 45 chosen from across the country for the National Teachers' Award 2025.

President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards on September 5, which is celebrated as Teachers' Day. A native of Bihar and alumnus of Delhi University's Hindu College, Jha has been serving as principal of the Rohini school since 2015.

Under his leadership, the school has reported notable academic progress, with 18 students qualifying in NEET and 13 clearing JEE (Mains) this year alone, said Vice-Principal Bharti Kalra.

The vice-principal added that Jha has been instrumental in providing free coaching opportunities for underprivileged students.

In association with educators and private institutes, the school runs centres for NEET, JEE and CA Foundation preparation, enabling dozens of students to pursue higher education each year.

He also set up a reading hall with 70 computer-enabled seats, open daily from 8 am to 8 pm, Kalra said.

According to her, several innovative initiatives were introduced in the school after the COVID-19 pandemic, including stress-buster classrooms for counselling, career guidance sessions with industry veterans, and eco-friendly drives like zero-waste citizen bank accounts.

She said Jha has provided 100 second-hand computers and printers to the school through the Reserve Bank of India's CSR programme, while donations helped establish a junior science lab.

Reflecting on the honour, Jha said he considers the award as a recognition, not just of his own work but also of his students, teachers and colleagues who supported him in every endeavour.

He believes a teacher's true role is to guide and inspire, and that recognition follows naturally when work is done with sincerity.

Kalra further said Jha plans to continue contributing to education even after retirement and often stresses that the younger generation should use technology to help shape India into a developed nation by 2047, in line with the government's vision. PTI SHB SHB NSD NSD