Jammu’s Kuldeep Gupta to Receive National Teachers’ Award from President Murmu

SRINAGAR: Kuldeep Gupta, a lecturer at Government Higher Secondary School Jindrah, has been selected for the prestigious National Teachers’ Award, which will be conferred on him by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on September 5. Gupta is the only educator from Jammu and Kashmir to be honoured this year on Teachers’ Day, ETV Bharat reported.

Born into a modest family in Bishnah, Gupta’s journey into teaching began with a passion for science that he had nurtured since childhood. His father, Banarsi Lal Gupta, worked for the Military Engineering Services (MES). The eldest of four siblings, Gupta went on to complete an MSc in Zoology and an MEd before starting his teaching career in 1992 at a school in his native village.

He quickly distinguished himself as an innovative teacher, moving beyond traditional classroom lectures. His breakthrough came in 1995 at Government High School Satwari, where he introduced activity-based learning to make science engaging and accessible. “I wanted students to fall in love with science for the holistic development of students,” Gupta recalled, while talking to TV Bharat.

One of his notable contributions has been popularising the Children’s Science Congress among government school students. Until the late 1990s, the initiative largely saw participation from private schools. With support from the Directorate of School Education Jammu, Gupta opened the platform to government schools, giving students an opportunity to develop research skills and explore solutions to local problems using scientific methods. The initiative has since expanded to all 10 districts of Jammu and now feeds into state and national-level competitions.

In 2009, Gupta was appointed Academic Coordinator for the Children’s Science Congress in the Jammu region, overseeing teacher orientation programmes and developing an activity book. Later, as a resource person for the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), he trained more than 1,500 teachers. He also proofread NCERT textbooks, coordinated the National Service Scheme, and represented Jammu at a national integration camp in Haryana.

Over his 30-year career, Gupta has worked in 10 schools, mostly in rural areas, focusing on low-cost, no-cost teaching methods. By using everyday items to teach science concepts, he made laboratories less dependent on expensive equipment. At Jindrah, he set up a mini science lab to help students learn through practical experiments, a move that even encouraged many dropouts to return to school.

“I do not do any great things; I simply help students clear their confusion so that they gain interest,” he said, reflecting on his philosophy as a teacher.

For his work, Gupta received the Best Teacher Award from the Jammu and Kashmir government in 2021. Now, with the National Teachers’ Award, he says his efforts feel truly recognised.