JAMMU, Sep 7: Sixteen teachers from across India have been named winners of the Shiv Nadar Foundation–Oxford Saïd India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026, with the inaugural edition receiving more than 9,400 registrations from 32 States and Union Territories.
The winners were announced at the national finale held at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, where 79 shortlisted teachers from across the country presented their teaching practices, classroom innovations and evidence of student impact before expert juries.
The awards recognise teachers teaching Classes IX to XII across eight subject categories—Business Studies and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Science, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.
In each subject category, one public-school teacher and one private-school teacher were selected as national winners, taking the total number of awardees to 16.
The selection process placed emphasis on the quality and impact of classroom practice, rather than primarily on academic qualifications or length of service. Teachers were assessed on conceptual accuracy, classroom methodology, assessment and feedback, inclusion, student engagement, evidence of learning outcomes and the potential for their teaching practices to be adapted across diverse educational settings.
At the national finale, the 79 shortlisted teachers were evaluated by subject-specific juries comprising academics from the University of Oxford, leading Indian academic institutions and experts from the wider education sector. Each finalist presented their teaching approach and evidence of its impact on students, followed by a question-and-answer session with the jury.
Speaking on the occasion, Shikhar Malhotra, Chairman, Shiv Nadar Foundation, said teachers influence much more than what students learn in classrooms, shaping how young people think, question, solve problems and understand the world.
He said the awards were conceived to recognise teachers for the quality of their classroom practices and the difference they make in the lives of their students.
The awards mark an effort to place effective teaching practices and measurable student impact at the centre of national recognition for educators.