May 23, 2010  

 Manu, the legendary Hindu lawgiver has rightly equated the status of a teacher to that of Brahma because teacher is a dynamic force for not just the school but the civilization on the whole. Recognising the importance and contribution of teachers in building a good society, the Himachal Pradesh Government has formulated a novel scheme of Award to school teachers under which they will be considered for National and State Award. This is a step towards ensuring quality education to the children in the state besides making the state an educational hub of the country. 16 State Awards will be given each year and for National Award, number of awards/category of teachers would be determined by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. 

Award to the teachers will not only inculcate a sense of recognition among the recipients but also motivate other teachers to strive for professional excellence.  State awardee will receive an award of Rs 40,000, silver medal, himachali cap/ scarf, shawl, citation and certificate. Each national awardee will receive an award of Rs 60,000, shawl, himachali cap/ scarf, books.  

Teachers with a least 15 years regular teaching experience and Headmasters/Principals with 20 years of regular teaching and administrative experiences and who are actually working as teachers/Headmasters in Government Primary/Middle/High/Senior Secondary Schools shall be considered. Normally retired teachers will not be eligible for the award but the teachers who have served a part of the calendar year (at least for four months i.e. up to 30th April in the year to which Award relates) may be considered if they fulfill all other conditions.  

Reputation of the teacher in the local community, academic efficiency and desire for the improvement, genuine interest and love for children and his involvement in the social life of the community would be the main consideration for the selection for the award. Unlike other awards, this will also take into consideration parameters such as performance of students in school board exams and competitive/entrance examination or the specific activities undertaken by the teacher for promotion of National Integration.  

For the selection of the teachers for the award, committees would be constituted at the District, Directorate and state level. The initial selection shall be made at the District level committee from amongst the names recommended by BEEOs/Headmasters/Principals. The name shall be recommended by the BEEOs/Headmasters/Principals on the basis of the Teacher's record of work. The District Selection committee shall scrutinize and forward the recommendations received from schools and recommend the same to the Directorate of Education, at least two names from each category. The Directorate level Committee shall compile/scrutinize and forward the same to the State level committee. The final selection would be made by State Government.

 Combined list will be prepared by the State's committee. For the State award, one award will be given to the category of Principal, one for headmaster, two for lecturer, one for DPE, three for TGT, three for C& V, five for JBT. Each district will recommend at least two names from each category of teachers. These Awards are a token of gratitude to the teaching community and would go a long way in keeping the environment intellectually alive and encourage scholarly to make further strides in the field of education.