President Droupadi Murmu will confer the National Teachers Awards 2026 on 48 school teachers at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 5 September, as India observes Teachers' Day. The annual ceremony, organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, brings together the country's most distinguished educators to recognise their sustained impact on school education.

Selection Process and Awardee Profile

The 48 awardees were identified through a rigorous three-stage selection process conducted at the District, State, and National levels. Eligible teachers submitted online self-nominations through the Ministry of Education's portal between 15 June and 20 July, ensuring broad participation from across the country.

The selected group represents considerable geographic and demographic diversity: 27 States, seven Union Territories, and six Central Government organisations are represented. Of the 48 honourees, 26 are male and 22 are female.

What the Ceremony Involves

Beyond the formal conferral of awards, the event at Vigyan Bhawan will feature short documentaries on each awardee, offering audiences a closer look at their teaching practices, classroom innovations, and the measurable difference they have made in students' lives. The screenings are intended to amplify the reach of their work beyond the ceremony itself.

The National Teachers Awards are designed to acknowledge educators whose dedication has not only elevated learning outcomes but also fostered a culture of innovation and excellence within India's school system.

State-Level Honours Running Parallel

Alongside the national event, several states are conducting their own Teachers' Day ceremonies. In Himachal Pradesh, 26 teachers — comprising 21 school teachers and 5 college teachers — will receive the State Teacher Award. Within the Department of School Education, 15 teachers have been selected for the General Award in the Non-Tribal/Hard Area category.

In Uttar Pradesh, 81 teachers will be honoured with the State Teacher Award and the Chief Minister's Teacher Award by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium in Gorakhpur. The group includes 61 teachers from the Basic Education Department and 20 from the Secondary Education Department.

Significance of the Annual Recognition

Teachers' Day, observed on 5 September each year to mark the birth anniversary of former President and philosopher Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, has long served as the occasion for the Centre to spotlight frontline educators. This year's cohort, drawn from a wide cross-section of India's administrative geography, underscores the government's stated intent to make the selection process inclusive and transparent. The forward-looking expectation is that wider visibility — aided by the documentary screenings — will inspire peer adoption of innovative teaching methods nationwide.