Winners of Tata Chemicals Best Chemistry Teachers Awards 2013 felicitated in Delhi
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| Prof Sunita Bhagat receiving award from Shri Kapil Sibal |
Delhi: Winners of the third edition of Tata Chemicals Best Chemistry Teachers Awards (BCTA) were felicitated today by Kapil Sibal, minister of communications and information technology, and Sanjiv Lal, vice president, corporate projects, Tata Chemicals. These awards are organised in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and Godrej.
BCTA is a part of a larger initiative by Tata Chemicals called the 'Human Touch of Chemistry'. The aim of these awards is to appreciate exemplary work put in by chemistry teachers across India.
Educators across the country have welcomed BCTA awards and perceive it as recognition in their field. The winners were selected by an eminent panel of academicians and scientists from the leading institutions of India. The winners felicitated today in the four distinct award categories were:
- Best chemistry teacher (class XI/XII) – Dr Yogendra Kothari from Government Excellence Higher Secondary School, Madhavnagar, Ujjain.
- Best chemistry teacher (bachelor's degree) – Prof Sunita Bhagat from ASRD College, Delhi, and Prof Suhas Pednekar from Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai.
- Best chemistry teacher (master's degree) – Prof Anil Elias from IIT Delhi.
- Best chemistry teacher for promotion of chemistry as a subject – Prof Prodeep Phukan from Gauhati University, Guwahati.
Congratulating the teachers, Mr Lal said, "Such an overwhelming response in the third year of our BCTA is heartwarming and reassures us that we are on the right track of encouraging the valuable chemistry teachers who contribute immensely to the growth of this field. This initiative is our way of saluting the teachers for their distinguished efforts in shaping the young minds of our nation through chemistry, providing them with impetus to innovate and achieve greater success in their field of study. It is an honour to be associated with CII, ACT, RSC and Godrej for this award and leverage this platform to felicitate the deserving BCTA winners. We look forward to the continued enthusiasm and support which will enable BCTA to climb greater heights."
Prof Phukan said, "I am grateful to receive this award from Shri Kapil Sibal, and would like to thank Tata Chemicals and all other partners for providing us this platform and encouraging outreach in chemistry."
Dr Kothari said, "I would like to congratulate Tata Chemicals for introducing this award wherein contributions of chemistry teachers are recognised and they are motivated in making chemistry an interesting subject. Such awards not only encourage younger chemistry teachers to do well, but also popularise chemistry education."
Prof Bhagat said, "I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award. This award undoubtedly encourages more teachers in the education fraternity to apply and further strengthen the bond with chemistry."
Prof Elias said, "An award of this stature provides much-needed impetus for revitalising chemistry education. I am honoured to be selected as this year's winner in the postgraduate category."
Prof Pednekar said, "The BCTA is a well-rounded award that looks into all aspects of a good teacher — research, innovative teaching and chemistry outreach. I am happy to receive this award."