Several Keralites figured in the list of this year’s National Teachers’ Award. They include Jose D Sujeev (Govt. Model Girls HSS, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram), Mujib Rahiman K U (KV Kanjikode, Palakkad), Shiyad S (Malampuzha ITI, Palakkad), Ajith A Nair (Kalamassery ITI, Ernakulam), and R B Sunoj, a Malayali professor at IIT Bombay.
The award celebrates those who have not only improved the quality of education but also enriched the lives of their students. While Jose and Mujib won in the school education category, Shiyad and Ajith are awardees in the skill development and entrepreneurship division, and Sunoj in higher education.
President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honour on the awardees on Tuesday. Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash award of Rs 50,000 and a silver medal. This year’s awardees include 50 school teachers, 13 teachers from higher education and 12 from the Ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship.
IIT Bombay’s ‘Night teacher’ bags top honour
By Arya U R
When Dr R B Sunoj, a professor of IIT Bombay, ascends the steps to receive the National Teachers’ Award from President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhavan on Tuesday, he will be retracing the steps his mother walked when she won the same award 23 years ago.
Humbled to receive the honour, says the 49-year-old chemistry professor, adding that this award is a tribute to his parents, especially his mother. “My mother’s efforts and hard work made her a role model in my eyes. She made us realise the importance of education in life. Her award is an early example of women’s empowerment,” Sunoj says.
His mother, K Vasantha Kumari, started her career at 18 and was conferred the National Teachers’ Award in 2000 for her exceptional commitment to primary school education in the state. The 78-year-old, elated at her son’s win, says, “He [Sunoj] was studious from a young age. His award is an honour to my upbringing and a success as a teacher who can contribute to the country.”
Sunoj, who joined IIT Bombay 20 years ago as a lecturer, credits his school, St Joseph’s HSS in Thiruvananthapuram, for imbibing in him a passion for science. “The laboratory at St Joseph’s school was the game changer in my life,” he says.
Elaborating further, Sunoj says, “My interest in chemistry expanded by experimenting with the textbook teachings in labs and performing them before my friends. I fell in love with chemistry. This pushed me to pursue a BSc and MSc at Kerala University.”
It was here that Sunoj realised that he also harboured a passion for teaching. He shone during the seminar sessions wherein he got a chance to get in front of the class and teach his peers. This newfound love saw him eventually take up teaching full-time.
Beyond his exceptional skills at imparting knowledge to students, what catapulted this Peroorkkada native to national fame is his humbleness and approachable nature. This has also won him the moniker ‘Night Teacher’ at IIT Bombay, as he is willing to clear the doubts of students even at night.
Ask him if there’s a golden rule for being a teacher, and Sunoj says, “My motto is to learn and co-learn with my students. Also, the role of a teacher is to ensure the well-being of the students. Do no restrict to just academics alone.”
To teach, Sunoj has his own self-designed strategies. “I try to keep my class interactive. I make them learn chemistry concepts through fun activities rather than by lecturing them,” he adds. Sunoj is not new to awards and laurels. In 2017, he gave the prestigious Charles Coulson lecture at the University of Georgia, USA. In 2019, he won the Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Chemical Science. Sunoj is also the recipient of the IIT Bombay Excellence in Teaching award.
Focus on practical skills reaps reward
By Ronnie Kuriakose
Ajith Nair, a senior instructor at the Government Industrial Training Institute at Kalamassery, Ernakulam, has bagged the National Teachers’ Award in the skill development and entrepreneurship category. “This is indeed a huge honour. It was made possible because of our emphasis on hands-on training. We have been able to equip students with key practical skills to enhance their career in varied industries. All of them have performed very well,” he says.
Ajith has been associated with the Kalamassery ITI for over four years now, says P K Raghunathan, the institute’s principal. According to him, the senior instructor has been instrumental in helping the institution attain the 100 per cent placement that it boasts today.
A BTech graduate, Ajith has been associated with government ITIs for the past ten years. He helped shape two new syllabi — in robotics and office automation. He also prepared DPR for two mini-industrial units — a plastic recycling unit and a water bottling plant. Both have received permission from the government.
Ajith’s skills were also put to great use during the Covid years. He developed an ultra-violet sanitiser, which earned him many laurels. The son of Ambujakshan Nair and Radhamani, Ajith is also an able farmer. He has cultivated special rice crops and has more than 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables on his farm.
‘To ace as teacher, one must be among children’
By Arya U R
Jose D Sujeev, an English teacher at Govt Model Girls Higher Secondary School, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, is one of the educators from Kerala who won the national award for the best teacher.
The 55-year-old Vattapara native, who has spent nearly two-thirds of his life as a teacher, says the honour comes as a big boost to his efforts. “It is the highest achievement that a teacher can receive,” Sujeev says.
He was the recipient of the state’s Best Teacher award in 2019 and has also served as the research officer in English at the State Council for Education Research and Training. Sujeev rues the decreasing student-teacher relationship today. “Now, with the advent of digital media, the gap between students and teachers has widened,” he says.
According to Sujeev, to become a good teacher, one must be among the children. “Today, one must approach children in a friendly manner. Also, we can’t restrict them to academics alone,” says Sujeev, who places a lot of emphasis on children being able to communicate fluently and freely.
The former high school teacher at Cotton Hill GGHSS, Sujeev’s ‘Let’s Build Vocabulary’ initiative, which he launched during the pandemic period, was very popular with children. “The initiative was launched on Teachers’ Day in 2020 with the aim of helping children achieve proficiency in vocabulary. I plan to publish the material as a book with a preface penned by MP Shashi Tharoor soon,” Sujeev adds. He also intends to publish his book, ‘Thoughts of a Teacher,’ before he retires next year.