New Delhi: As many as 118 teachers across various categories were honoured by chief minister Rekha Gupta at the Shikshak Mahakumbh-State Teachers Awards 2026 held at Thyagaraj Stadium on Teachers’ Day for their contributions to education.The awardees included 20 heads of schools, 69 teachers from Directorate of Education (DoE) and MCD schools, teachers from three CM Shri Schools, as well as librarians, special educators and sports teachers.Describing teachers as the “strong foundation of society”, Gupta said their role extended beyond imparting textbook knowledge to shaping values, confidence and a sense of responsibility among students.“They instil values, skills, confidence, a sense of duty and the right direction in life,” she said, adding that a teacher’s influence was not limited to an individual student but helped shape an entire generation.Highlighting the govt’s focus on education, Gupta said Rs 19,148 crore had been allocated to the sector for 2026-27. She said 170 language labs were being set up in govt schools, including 70 in CM Shri Schools and 100 in other schools, to strengthen students’ communication skills.Programmes such as Neev, Rashtraneeti and NIPUN Sankalp were also being implemented to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and foundational learning, she added.Gupta also urged teachers to play a larger role in shaping responsible citizens. She said lasting solutions to Delhi’s problems could not come through govt action alone, but required changes in citizens’ attitudes and behaviour. Teachers, she added, could instil values such as cleanliness, environmental responsibility, discipline, sensitivity, respect for rules and helping those in need from an early age.Gupta also underlined the role of teachers in ensuring child safety, including by creating awareness about “good touch and bad touch”. Referring to govt’s resolve to make Delhi free of begging, she said the first step was to ensure that no child remained outside the education system. The CM urged teachers, institutions and citizens to help bring out-of-school children into mainstream education.Meanwhile, education minister Ashish Sood announced that the recruitment process for 10,417 teachers and 613 special educators had been initiated. He said the appointments would help address staff shortages and strengthen support for children with special needs.Sood credited teachers with strengthening Delhi’s education system and said NEP 2020 aimed not only to bring children to school but also to improve learning outcomes.
