Mumbai, Aug. 26 -- Three teachers from Maharashtra are among the 45 from across the country who will be honoured with the National Teachers' Awards 2025 on Teachers' Day, celebrated on September 5. The three Maharashtra teachers who have made it to the prestigious list are Sonia Vikas Kapoor from the Atomic Energy Central School No. 2 in Mumbai, Shaikh Mohammed from the Zilla Parishad High School in Ardhapur in Nanded district, and Sandeepan Jagdale from the Dayanand College of Arts, Latur. Shaikh Mohammed holds an MSc, MEd, and a PhD, and has also cleared the NET exam in three different subjects, qualifying him for college-level teaching. Yet, he chose to dedicate his career to school education. He began his career in 1996 at a zilla parishad school in Hingoli district before being transferred to Ardhapur. In 2016, when he took charge as principal, he noticed that many girls from Urdu-medium schools were dropping out after Class 7 because the school was located far from their villages, raising safety concerns for parents. To address this, Shaikh introduced the concept of "Safe School at Doorstep" by renting five rooms in the village to conduct classes closer to students' homes. "We saw an immediate rise in the number of girls attending school. Today, the dropout rate is zero. Many of these girls have gone on to pursue higher studies, including medical education," he said. Sandeepan Jagdale, a music teacher, has dedicated 23 years to inspiring young artistes. Coming from a family with no background in music, he began singing powadas (Marathi folk songs) in Class 10. He later pursued formal music training, completing his MA and PhD. Jagdale, who also won the State Best Teacher Award in 2023, donated his Rs.1 lakh prize money to fund the education of orphans in Latur. "There are many talented youth around our college with great voices and performing skills. We encourage them to take up formal music education and provide them platforms to showcase their talent," he said. Mumbai's Sonia Vikas Kapoor has been teaching for over two decades. Known for her student-friendly teaching methods, she has been instrumental in creating engaging learning experiences for her students. "I am very thankful to the Atomic Energy Education Society for giving me the opportunity to work with students and explore different pedagogies," she said....