2 from TG to receive National Teacher awards

Hyderabad: Thaduri Sampath Kumar, a physics teacher at Zilla Parishad High School, Dammannapet in Sircilla district, has inspired his students to become innovators. This initiative has helped him to be selected for the National Teacher Award 2024. Similarly, adopting an experimental and innovative method of teaching has helped Prabhakar Reddy Pesara of Zilla Parishad Secondary School, Thirumalayapalem in Khammam, to be shortlisted for the national award.

Among the two teachers, Prabhakar Reddy Pesara and Thaduri Sampath Kumar are the only two from Telangana out of the 50 teachers who have been recognised for their unique contribution to school education. They would be honoured with the awards by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on the occasion of Teachers Day.

Thaduri Sampath Kumar, a physics teacher at ZPHS Dammannapet, whose lifetime goal is ‘Mission 100’ which is to mould 100 government school students as young innovators. So far, he has transformed 53 students into innovators, and among them eight bagged gold medals in international science exhibitions and more than 30 students won state-level awards.

Explaining about his initiative, he said that on the school premises, he had set up an innovation idea box, and students were asked to drop innovative ideas for solving problems faced by locals. Through this, many students came up with various ideas including welder-friendly helmets and many more. “With the guidance of Telangana State Innovation Cell and T-Hub, my students could come up with several innovations. Apart from this, during the pandemic, I have provided services as a state resource person through T-Sat and have also written a Science text book for State Board (Telangana) for Classes VI, VII and VIII. My dream was to become a scientist but unfortunately, I missed an admission to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc). So I aim to mould and encourage students as a young innovator so that they can contribute to the nation,” he says.

Prabhakar Reddy Pesara, a Biology teacher at Zilla Parishad Secondary School, Thirumalayapalem, who has been in the teaching field for the past 28 years, said, “This award is a recognition of my work in implementing step-method – teaching of the subject by experiments and projects.

As Science is learning by doing, if there is no activity or physical exposure then there is no learning at all. I have integrated Information Communication Technology for content, so that students can easily understand the concepts. In my 28-year career so far, I have taught in various remote areas of the state, and have enrolled 1,513 students in government schools.”