Patna: Innovative teaching, community engagement and a drive to make learning joyful have earned Bihar’s Pushpa Prasad and Khushboo Kumari the National Teachers Award 2026. The two women, from Gopalganj and Banka respectively, are the only teachers from Bihar among 48 awardees selected nationwide. President Droupadi Murmu will confer the award on Teachers’ Day, Sept 5.Pushpa, a teacher at Girls Middle School, Kuchaikot, Gopalganj, has championed activity-based learning and innovative educational activities. She also serves as a district mentor with ‘Teachers of Bihar’, a professional learning platform for govt-school teachers. Teaching mathematics, Hindi and English, she works to make classrooms more engaging.Pushpa said the recognition was meaningful as it acknowledged her efforts to bring educational change to a small diara village. Beyond classes, she uses her free time and holidays to help girl students develop painting and other extracurricular skills. She was named Teacher of the Month by the Bihar education department in May 2025 and received the Bihar State Teachers Award 2024.Khushboo, headmistress of Urdu Primary School, Bidaydih, Banka, has transformed learning in a backward, minority-dominated area. She uses songs, dance, teaching aids and interactive methods to teach basic concepts such as the alphabet, helping push attendance above 90%, according to school officials. Videos of her classes also went viral on social media.“This is not just an honour for me, but for the education system of Banka and our children. My aim is to make studies a joy for children, not a burden,” Khushboo said.Both were selected through a multi-stage process after Bihar recommended six teachers for national scrutiny. Education minister Mithilesh Tiwari congratulated the awardees and called the recognition a matter of pride for Bihar.
