Seventy-nine teachers from public and private schools across India have been shortlisted for the national finals of the Shiv Nadar Foundation–Oxford Saïd India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026.

The finalists were selected from more than 9,400 registrations received from 32 states and Union Territories. The national finals will be held at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, on September 4.

Teachers will compete across eight subject categories: Business Studies and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Science, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.

Established by the Shiv Nadar Foundation and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, the awards recognise teachers of Classes IX-XII for classroom practice, teaching methods, student outcomes and leadership within schools and communities.

At the finals, participants will present their work before subject-specific juries comprising academics from India and the University of Oxford, along with education-sector experts. The finalists were chosen through a multi-stage evaluation covering subject knowledge, classroom methodology, assessment, inclusion, student engagement and evidence of learning.

Sixteen teachers will be selected as winners across the eight subjects and public and private school categories. They will participate in a five-week hybrid professional development programme, followed by a fully funded one-week residential programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

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