National Teachers Awards 2026: President Honours 82 Teachers
President Droupadi Murmu gave the National Awards to Teachers to 82 teachers and educators at a New Delhi function on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2026.

Why in News
On 5 September 2026, Teachers' Day, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Awards to Teachers on 82 teachers and educators at a function in New Delhi, and the Prime Minister had met the winners a day earlier.
India observed Teachers' Day on 5 September 2026. President Droupadi Murmu handed over the National Awards to Teachers at a function in New Delhi the same day. Teachers drawn from every part of the country were honoured on the stage.
How many were honoured
The award this year went to 82 teachers and educators. They were picked from three different streams of the education system. School education supplied the largest group. Higher education and skill training supplied the rest.
| Stream | Awardees |
| Department of School Education and Literacy | 48 teachers |
| Higher Educational Institutions and Polytechnics | 21 teachers and faculty members |
| Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship | 13 skill trainers |
| Total | 82 teachers and educators |
What the President told the teachers
The President called education the most effective way of turning the Constitution's promise of equality of opportunity into practice. She credited teachers with bringing the dropout rate in primary schools down to almost nothing, and she thanked every teacher for that national success. School education, she said, is the base on which the whole system stands. Knowledge and skills can be picked up at any age, but lessons in good conduct work best in childhood. She asked teachers to look out for the shy child, the first-generation learner, the child who moves from a village school to a big city school and the child with special needs. Academic excellence, skill development and entrepreneurship, she said, matter greatly for the country's growth, and making India the skill capital of the world and a knowledge superpower is a national priority.
What the Prime Minister told the winners
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the award winners at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg a day before the ceremony. He asked teachers to watch for signs of drug use in children and to help them break the habit. He called excessive screen time a major worry and suggested sports, physical games and creative work as the way out of it. He asked teachers to protect the innocence of childhood and to channel a child's natural curiosity. Citing the National Education Policy, he asked them to take children outside the classroom and to teach values such as the dignity of labour.
Why the date matters
Teachers' Day falls on the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a former President of India. The President laid floral tributes to him at Rashtrapati Bhavan the same day, and the Prime Minister paid him homage in his own message.
Important Facts
| Award | National Awards to Teachers |
|---|---|
| Conferred by | President Droupadi Murmu |
| Date and occasion | 5 September 2026, Teachers' Day |
| Venue | New Delhi |
| Total awardees | 82 teachers and educators |
| School education share | 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy |
| Higher education share | 21 teachers and faculty members from higher educational institutions and polytechnics |
| Skill training share | 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship |
| Prime Minister's interaction | At his residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, a day before the ceremony |
| Teachers' Day marks | Birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India |
Exam Point of View
Remember the number 82 and its break-up of 48, 21 and 13, the date 5 September 2026, that the President confers the awards, and that Teachers' Day marks the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a former President of India.
Practice Questions
How many teachers and educators were selected for the National Teachers Awards conferred on 5 September 2026?
- A.75
- B.82
- C.91
- D.50
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 82
Explanation
The correct answer is 82. The release records that 82 teachers and educators were selected for the National Teachers Awards this year, and that they came from three departments. The break-up is worth memorising because a paper setter can ask for any one part of it: 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 teachers and faculty members from higher educational institutions and polytechnics, and 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Add those three numbers and you get the total of 82, which is a quick way to check yourself in the examination hall. Option A, option C and option D are not supported anywhere in the release; they are the kind of round or near-miss figures that distractors are usually built from. Note also that the awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at a function in New Delhi on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2026, while the Prime Minister had met the same winners at his residence a day earlier.
Which department accounted for the largest share of the National Teachers Awards winners in 2026?
- A.Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- B.Department of Higher Education
- C.Department of School Education and Literacy
- D.Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Department of School Education and Literacy
Explanation
The correct answer is the Department of School Education and Literacy. Of the 82 awardees, 48 came from that department, which is well over half the total and easily the largest block. Option A is wrong because the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship contributed 13 skill trainers, the smallest of the three groups. Option B is wrong in the form it is written: the higher education share of 21 awardees came from higher educational institutions and polytechnics, and the release does not credit it to the Department of Higher Education by that name; even if it did, 21 is smaller than 48. Option D does not figure in the release at all. Remember the order of the three groups from largest to smallest as 48, 21 and 13, because questions in this pattern often ask for the smallest share rather than the largest one. The awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Teachers' Day.
Teachers' Day in India is observed on the birth anniversary of which former President?
- A.Dr Rajendra Prasad
- B.Dr Zakir Husain
- C.Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
- D.Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Explanation
The correct answer is Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The releases of the day tie the occasion directly to him: President Droupadi Murmu paid floral tributes to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a former President of India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Prime Minister said that Teachers' Day is also a day to pay homage to Dr S. Radhakrishnan. Option A names the first President of India, who is remembered on other occasions and not on Teachers' Day. Option B names another former President who came from an educational background, which makes him a plausible distractor, but the day is not observed for him. Option D names a former President widely associated with students and with Students' Day tributes, which again makes the option tempting, but the release of 5 September 2026 does not connect him with this day. The safe way to hold this item is to pair the date, the man and the event: 5 September, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and the National Awards to Teachers conferred by the President.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teachers received the National Awards to Teachers in 2026?
A total of 82 teachers and educators were selected. The group had 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 from higher educational institutions and polytechnics, and 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Who confers the National Awards to Teachers?
The President of India. President Droupadi Murmu conferred them at a function in New Delhi on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2026.
Why is Teachers' Day observed on 5 September?
The day marks the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a former President of India. The President paid floral tributes to him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the same day.
Sources
- PRESIDENT OF INDIA CONFERS NATIONAL AWARDS ON TEACHERS (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- PM interacts with winners of National Teachers Awards (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- Prime Minister highlights the strong contribution of teachers on Teachers' Day (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- PRESIDENT OF INDIA PAYS FLORAL TRIBUTES TO DR SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN ON HIS BIRTH ANNIVERSARY (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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