Pushpa Prasad, an assistant teacher at Kanya Madhya Vidyalaya in Kuchaykot, Gopalganj, has been selected for the National Teachers' Award. She is among 11 teachers from across the country who will be honoured on September 5, Teachers' Day. Two teachers from Bihar, Pushpa Prasad from Gopalganj and Khushboo Kumari from Banka, are on the list.
Prasad's journey into teaching was not initially planned. She had once hoped to open a computer centre and teach children after completing a diploma in computer education. However, her husband, Balmiki Prasad, encouraged her to pursue teaching as a profession.
Born into a family with an Air Force background, Prasad completed her early education in Bengaluru. Her father, Raghunandan Prasad, was posted there as an Air Force employee, and she studied at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bengaluru up to Class 9. After her father was transferred to Najafgarh in Haryana, she completed Classes 10 and 12 at a Kendriya Vidyalaya there.
Prasad married Balmiki Prasad, a 1999-batch BPSC teacher, on May 16, 2004. A year after their marriage, the couple had a son. Even after marriage and while managing household responsibilities, Prasad continued her studies.
According to her husband, she had completed a diploma in computers and wanted to set up a computer centre where she could teach children. He, however, encouraged her to become a teacher.
Prasad was selected through the panchayat recruitment process in Gopalganj in 2006. At the time, her husband was posted as a government teacher at Baliwan Sagar in Gopalganj.
She joined Primary School Baliwan Sagar and spent around seven years there.
During her tenure, she gained recognition locally for her teaching and school management work and was also honoured at the local level.
On March 25, 2013, Prasad was transferred to Kanya Madhya Vidyalaya, Kuchaykot, where she continues to serve as an assistant teacher.
At the school, she teaches multiple subjects, including Mathematics, Hindi, and English. She also uses her free time and holidays to work with girl students, teaching them painting and other extracurricular skills.
Her work has earned her recognition at the district and state levels. She was honoured on International Women's Day at the district level and has also received the state-level Rajkiya Award twice in Patna.
Her selection for the National Teachers' Award marks another milestone in her teaching career.
Speaking to NDTV, Prasad said she initially could not believe that her name had been included in the list of teachers selected for the national honour. She said she came to know about her selection through the media and was excited about receiving the award.
Prasad said her efforts to bring change to a school in a small village in the diara region of Gopalganj had now received recognition.
Her husband and colleagues have congratulated her on being selected for the national honour.
(With inputs from Mukesh Kumar)
