Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh)— Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday announced that the State Teacher Awards will be extended to faculty members of higher, technical, and technological education starting from the next academic session. Addressing the state-level Teachers’ Day function in Panchkula as a distinguished guest, the Chief Minister underscored that while the recognition is currently limited to school-level educators, the government is committed to encouraging outstanding academic contributions across all tiers of the education system.
The ceremony, held in the presence of Haryana Governor Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh, First Lady Mitra Ghosh, and Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, saw 79 school educators conferred with the State Teacher Award. Each honouree received a ceremonial shawl, a medal, a citation, a cash prize of one lakh rupees, and two advance salary increments in recognition of their dedication to academic excellence and student mentorship.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Saini highlighted the evolving role of teachers in an era dominated by artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital automation. He observed that while technology can supply instant information, it cannot substitute the moral grounding, empathy, and personal encouragement that an inspired educator provides to instill confidence in struggling learners. He noted that the National Education Policy has aligned with this vision by shifting learning away from rote memorization toward critical comprehension, practical skills, and foundational values.
Detailing the state’s fiscal and infrastructure commitments, the Chief Minister stated that Haryana’s school education budget has risen to 18,538 crore rupees for the current financial year, more than doubling the allocation recorded a decade ago. He highlighted that 250 schools are being developed under the CM-EEE initiative, complementing the existing network of 218 Model Sanskriti Schools and 251 PM SHRI schools to deliver quality bilingual instruction. Additionally, 719 model schools have been established closer to rural habitations, while sports grounds are being developed across 3,328 schools with financial assistance of one lakh rupees each.
The Chief Minister also drew attention to academic and entrepreneurial interventions, pointing out that seats in the state’s flagship Super-100 coaching programme have been increased from 400 to 500, yielding substantial admissions into premier institutes like IITs, NITs, and medical colleges. He referenced the introduction of the Kaushal Business Challenge, which provides seed funding of up to one lakh rupees to 67 student-led startup teams, alongside residential centres under Mission Buniyaad and continuous professional training programmes planned for nearly 32,000 primary teachers.
Earlier in the event, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda commended the teaching community for driving a historic rise in state board examination pass percentages from roughly 40 percent a decade ago to nearly 90 percent today. Dhanda cited ongoing institutional upgrades including modern dual desks, digital tracking via the Nipun Haryana Teacher App, foreign language instruction in French and German across 26 schools, and recent recruitments strengthening the Mewat primary teacher cadre. Senior administrative officials, including School Education Principal Secretary Vijay Singh Dahiya and Secondary Education Director General Jitender Kumar, were also in attendance.
