New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) Online applications and nominations for the National Teachers Awards 2026 will remain open till July 10, said an official of the Union Ministry of Education’s Department of School Education and Literacy on Thursday.

The National Teachers Awards are conferred annually on September 5 which is observed as Teachers’ Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a distinguished philosopher and scholar.

“Eligible teachers serving in schools run by the Central government, state governments, Union Territory administrations, local bodies, and in aided and private schools affiliated with recognised Boards, may apply, subject to the provisions contained in the guidelines,” it said.

“Applications and nominations may be submitted through the National Awards Portal from June 15 to July 10. The detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria, evaluation process and timelines are available on the portal,” it added.

The Awards seek to recognise the outstanding contribution of teachers towards improving the quality of school education and promoting the holistic development of students, the official said in a statement.

The Ministry said that an independent national jury to evaluate the nominations would be constituted by mid-July.

The statement said that the process for shortlisting by District/Regional Selection Committees would be completed by July 21; shortlisting by State/Organisation Selection Committees would end by July 29 and intimation of shortlisted candidates for interaction with Jury will end by July 31.

The National Jury will select the awardees by August 8 and the teachers selected for the honour will be intimated by August 20, the statement said.

Last year, President Droupadi Murmu felicitated 45 exceptional educators and conferred national awards on them at a special event held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

President Murmu had hailed the teachers for transforming the classrooms and preparing the children to become capable and upright citizens of tomorrow.

Addressing the gathering, the President had spoken about the importance of education in our lives and laid special emphasis on investing in girls’ education, saying that this would be an invaluable investment in building our family, society and nation.

The awardee teachers, including 24 males and 21 females from schools in metros cities, towns, and far-flung villages, were chosen through a rigorous three-stage selection process for their innovation and impact on student learning.

–IANS

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