Renowned educationist and lecturer of Chemistry, Javaid Ahmad Rather, of Wagoora area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla has been selected for this year’s national teachers award.

President of India, Droupadi Murmu according to Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) will confer the award to Mr Rather on the occasion of Teachers' Day on September 5 at Vidyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Across the country, 46 teachers have been selected for their immense contribution to education.

Mr Rather, who is currently Principal Government Boys Higher Secondary School Baramulla, is the only one from Jammu and Kashmir selected for the award.

He belongs to Wagoora town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

In 1988, he completed his M.Sc in Chemistry from the University of Kashmir and was appointed as a lecturer in the secondary school education department. He has served at many higher secondary schools in Sogam Kupwara, Uri, Sopore, Wagoora and Baramulla.

In 2010, he was elevated to the post of Principal and subsequently was given charge of many educational zones where he proved his mettle.

He also worked as District Education Planning Officer in Baramulla.

Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Syed Sehrish Asgar congratulated Mr Rather and said: “Many congratulations to Principal Govt Boys Higher Secondary Schools Baramulla Javaid Sahab. You have made Baramulla proud!”

“Elated to hear that Principal Govt Higher Secondary School Baramulla Mr Javaid AHmad Rather has been selected for the national teacher award 2022 from J&K. His dedication and commitment have fructified. It is a proud moment for the teaching fraternity of Baramulla,” said Chief Education Officer Baramulla.

Mr Rather laid a long-lasting impression as a chemistry teacher and also as an administrator. He has always gone the extra mile to improve the academic standards as well as the infrastructure of the schools.

As a "man with a Mission", he within six years established the new buildings of the Boys Higher Secondary School Baramulla which was gutted in fire and had no classrooms for students. 

Currently, the institute has smart classrooms with national-level infrastructure, having a capacity of 1600 students to accommodate.

It has a fully equipped ICT laboratory, robotics lab, and a herbal garden with more than 50 medicinal plant varieties. A library with thousands of books, a gymnasium, the first of its kind in the valley, and a water purifier plant with a capacity of more than 1000 litres per day, have come up in the institute. 

“It all happened during the period of Javaid Sahab. He took staff and students always on board to bring the school to this level. He also involved the civil society, administration for the same,” said a teacher who works with him. (KDC)