Nagaland’s Peleno Petenilhu receives National Teachers Award 2025

DIMAPUR — Peleno Petenilhu, an educator from John Government Higher Secondary School Viswema in Kohima district, has been conferred the National Teachers Award 2025.

She was honoured at a ceremony held on Friday at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, alongside 65 teachers from across India. The awards, presented annually on Teachers’ Day, recognise educators for their service and contributions to the profession, stated an update from the DIPR.

According to the update, India has about 9.8 million teachers, of whom 4.88 million serve in government schools and 3.54 million in private institutions, per the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2021–22 data. Being recognised at the national level is considered a significant achievement in such a large teaching community.

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With a career spanning more than two decades, Petenilhu began her teaching journey at Government High School Seikhazou before joining John Government Higher Secondary School Viswema in 2014.

She is credited with introducing the ‘Each One Teach One’ initiative, in which Class 12 students mentor juniors from underprivileged backgrounds. The programme aims to build leadership and empathy among students while supporting peers academically.

Her efforts to reduce student dropouts include home visits, sponsoring admission fees, and providing mobile phones to disadvantaged learners. She also serves as president of the English Professional Learning Community in Kohima district, which facilitates collaboration and professional development among teachers.

Petenilhu has contributed to digital education through lesson plans for the DIKSHA platform and e-content for the ABHYAAS Learning Management System. She was also a recipient of the State Teacher Award in 2024.