– Mita Mukherjee

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) today presented its prestigious Derozio Awards 2025 to four prominent educators in recognition of their exemplary service to school education and human enrichment.

The winners for the awards are Dr. Fr. Shinoj Kizhakkemuriyil, principal, St. Antony’s School, Ghaziabad; Priti Sinha, principal, Gulmohar High School, Jamshedpur; Sr. Seena Joseph, principal, Auxilium Nava Jyoti School, Kerala and Kusum Uniyal, TGT Science, Jyoti Vidyalaya, Joshimath (Uttarakhand), the CISCE said.

The Derozio Awards honours individuals whose leadership and contributions have strengthened the nation through education. The honours are presented annually to recognise educators who have made a transformative impact in their respective spheres – primary, middle, secondary, and senior secondary education and educational leadership, CISCE said.

Each award comprises a 24-gram gold medal, a citation plaque engraved in silver, a scroll, and prize money worth Rs one lakh, the council said.

Vikramjit Sen, former Chief Justice of Karnataka and Judge of the Supreme Court of India conferred the awards to the recipients at the ICSE school heads’ meet organised by the Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate in Chandigarh on Friday, 21 November.

Joseph Emmanuel, chief executive and secretary of CISCE, stated, “This year’s awardees shine with extraordinary dedication, bold innovation, and deep human impact. Our rigorous evaluation reaffirmed the remarkable educational transformation unfolding across CISCE schools and the inspiring commitment of educators who continue to elevate learning nationwide.”

Dr. G. Immanuel, chairman of the Derozio Award Jury and CISCE added, “The Derozio Awards celebrate educators whose leadership uplifts society. Our purpose is to honour those who inspire excellence and strengthen the nation through transformative education”.

The Jury for the 2025 Awards comprised Dr. G. Immanuel (Chairman), Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay, Prof. Pranati Panda, Prof. Hrushikesh Senapati, Dr. Joseph Emmanuel, and Jawahar S. 

The CISCE said that the 2025 selection represented extraordinary dedication across all levels of schooling.

A two-day national conference of ICSE schools heads began on November 20 at Chandigarh which saw participation from nearly 2,000 educators from across the country. They discussed emerging educational trends and prepared a forward-looking roadmap. The theme of the conference was ‘Building stronger schools Together’. 

Inaugurating the meet, Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, member of parliament (Rajya Sabha), praised the legacy and progressive vision of CISCE.

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