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Bastar-Inspired Social Science Lab Earns Teacher National Geography Honour
Vinayak Kohli is a teacher in Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh.
He won a national award for teaching geography.
His classroom uses examples from Bastar, where his students live.
The school has a social science laboratory with maps, models, charts, and projects.
It also has a small museum showing local art and crafts.
Students collect soil, make maps, and practice activities such as mock parliaments and elections.
Kohli presented this teaching method to experts during the national finals.
Officials in Kondagaon now want other schools to create similar learning spaces.
Vinayak Kohli of PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya Kondagaon won the Geography category at India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026.
Kohli was selected as the public-school national winner from more than 9,400 registrations across 32 states and Union Territories.
His social science laboratory uses Bastar’s geography, environment, culture, traditional art, and community life to explain curriculum concepts.
The adjoining museum displays student and artisan work, including wooden carvings, terracotta, Dhokra metalwork, and tribal paintings.
Kondagaon Collector Nupur Rashi Panna directed school principals to develop similar geography laboratories across the district.
- Who
- Vinayak Kohli, a social science and geography teacher at PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya Kondagaon, won the Geography category.
- What
- He received national recognition at India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026 for a hands-on teaching model based on a social science laboratory and Bastar’s local context.
- Where
- The finals were held at Shiv Nadar University in Delhi-NCR, while the teaching initiative operates at the school in Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh.
- When
- The national finals took place from September 3 to 5, 2026; Kohli said his final presentation was held on September 4.
- Why
- His presentation and evidence of classroom impact demonstrated how local geography, culture, and practical activities supported student learning.
Key facts
- Award
- India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026, Geography category
- Winner
- Vinayak Kohli, PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya Kondagaon
- Selection pool
- More than 9,400 registrations from 32 states and Union Territories
- Organisers
- Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Shiv Nadar Foundation
- Teaching model
- A social science laboratory and mini Bastar art museum
- Final presentation
- A 10-minute presentation followed by five minutes of questions
- District response
- Collector Nupur Rashi Panna directed schools to develop geography laboratories
Quotes
India’s Best Teachers’ Awards official website
Official website for the national teachers’ awards initiative
“The initiative recognises and celebrates outstanding high-school teachers across India”
NDTV
Sources
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