Mohali : Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria conferred national awards on 576 teachers from private schools across the country during the concluding function of the 4th FAP National Awards 2024 on Sunday.
While the Punjab Governor presided over the award ceremony as the Chief Guest, the award function - organised by Federation of Private Schools and Associations of Punjab (FAP) at the Chandigarh University campus - was graced by the presence of dignitaries including Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Director, Chandigarh University, Prof (Dr) Devinder Singh, Pro-Vice Chancellor and FAP President Jagjit Singh Dhuri. Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chancellor of Chandigarh University, Satnam Singh Sandhu presided over the event as the Chief Guest during the inaugural ceremony of the two-day 4th FAP National Awards 2024 on Saturday.
The 576 awards conferred by the Governor included Academic Achievement Award for Principal (65), Academic Achievement Award for School (65), Best Teacher Award (105), Lifetime Achievement Award (14), Lifetime Principal Award (18), MOC Champion Award (151), MOC Champion and Maximum Participation Award (50), MOC Maximum Participation Award (6), Social Achievement Award for Principal (51) and Social Achievement Award for school (51).
The purpose of these awards is to celebrate the exceptional contributions of top teachers in the private schools of the country who have significantly enhanced the quality of school education and positively impacted their students' lives in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities.
Addressing the recipients of FAP National Awards, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand said, “Private schools are an integral part of India's education system. They prepare students for the future by providing them high quality education. Private schools along with government sector have also played an important role in raising the level of school education in India. There are a total of 27701 government and private schools in Punjab, out of which 7978 are private schools, which constitutes 28 per cent.
At present, a total of 6147500 are enrolled in government and private schools in Punjab, out of which 28,64,397 students study in private schools. However, we should also accept that the high fees of private schools are not affordable to all sections. We should try to ensure that quality education reaches every child, whether it is a government school or private,”.
On the transformation of India’s education sector since 2014, Kataria said, “The last decade has been historic for India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many bold decisions are being taken to make Indian institutions globally competitive, to provide world class education to the students,”.
“With a strong focus on research and innovation under the new National Education Policy implemented by the Modi-led Central government, India has made huge progress in the Global Innovation Index. In 2014, India was ranked 81st in the Global Innovation Index, which rose to 39th in 2025. During this period, the number of patents filed increased by 31 per cent and touched 83,000 in 2023. This has been a significant increase in 10 years, where India had filed only 42700 patents in 2014. With 1.3 million academic research publications in the last 5 years, India is ranked fourth globally in 2023. India's ranking in the Global Innovation Index has improved due to visionary decisions taken by the government led by Prime Minister Modi, such as 80 per cent reduction in patent application fees for institutions,” the Governor added.
The Governor said in 2014, only Rs 79,451 Crore was allocated for the education sector, but in 2024-25, the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has allocated an unprecedented budget of Rs 120638 Crore for education, which is the highest ever in the history of independent India, showing an increase of about 60 percent.
Urging unity for “All for Education and Education for All”, Kataria said taking a step forward in this direction, PM Modi, on the occasion of National Tribal Pride Day two days ago, announced the opening of more than 700 Eklavya schools in tribal areas across the country, out of which he also inaugurated 10 schools on this occasion.
“Let us keep in mind the spirit of the new National Education Policy to move forward taking everyone together, because this is the time of 'Sabka Prayas' for a developed India. Our society will move towards progress only with the hard work and dedication of everyone. If the society is empowered, the state will be empowered and if the state is empowered, the country will be empowered and education is the power that empowers a country. We all need to make more efforts in this direction together so that the dream of a developed India by 2047 can be realized,” the Governor added.
Speaking on the significance of the FAP National Awards 2024, FAP President Jagjit Singh Dhuri said currently more than 6 thousand members are associated with the association. “We started FAP in 2021 and at that time only state awards were given to private school teachers in Punjab. After this, in 2022, the scope of FAP Awards was expanded and it was started at the national level. At that time teachers from more than 20 states participated in it.
To honor the teachers by the association, they are selected on the basis of their contribution to education, project and parameters of their subject. Today, we have given Life Time Achievement Awards to principals and teachers between the ages of 55 to 60, which is also a matter of pride for them because they have provided quality education to the students throughout their lives, who are today contributing to the progress of the country in various fields,” he added.
Dhuri said the primary goal of the FAP National Awards is to foster a sense of pride in private schools for their achievements in academics, sports, and culture.
“This initiative not only honors private schools that have reached the pinnacle of success but also inspires others to strive for excellence in academics, sports, cultural heritage, infrastructure, and facilities," he added.