Asteroid Hunts to School Breakfasts: The Teachers Changing How India Learns, Pg5

Key Highlights:

• The National Teachers' Award, India's highest national award for school educators, recognized 48 teachers this year.
• President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards on September 5, celebrated as Teachers' Day.
• Divyendu Sen, a teacher from Rajasthan, enabled his students to identify asteroid candidates through a NASA-supported citizen space campaign.
• KP Sunil Kumar, a headmaster from Kerala, was honored for developing innovative programs to address student learning gaps and enhance skills.
• The awardees include educators who introduced nutritional interventions and worked on improving the image of government schools.

Detailed Insights:

• Instituted in 1958, the National Teachers' Award aims to acknowledge teachers for their innovation, dedication, leadership, and excellence in enhancing the learning experience for students.
• Divyendu Sen, a biology teacher at Mahatma Gandhi Government School in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, engaged rural students in the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), a global citizen science program.
• Since the COVID-19 pandemic, students under Sen's guidance have identified 12 asteroid candidates, with four recognized as provisional discoveries.
• Sen also pioneered technology-driven initiatives, such as converting educational content into audio format using student voices, and coordinated the National Children's Science Congress.
• KP Sunil Kumar, headmaster of a government upper primary school in Kannur, Kerala, focused on developing schemes to improve students' language, literary, communication, and creative skills, particularly addressing post-pandemic learning deficits.
• The 48 awardees for 2026 comprise 26 male and 22 female teachers, representing 27 States, 7 Union Territories, and 6 Central Government organizations.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Citizen Science: Scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur or non-professional scientists.
• International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC): A citizen science program providing high-quality astronomical data for participants worldwide to make original discoveries.
• Scientific Temperament: A rational and objective way of thinking that involves critical inquiry and an open-minded approach to understanding phenomena.