Tabassum was among the 20 teachers and five principals of schools run by the Municipal Commission of Delhi (MCD) who received the Shikshak Samman Awards for their contribution to the education of economically-disadvantaged children. MCD Commissioner K S Mehra was chief guest at the function.

Santosh Gupta, principal at the Anandpuri, Bapanagar-I School, received the award for her personal involvement in reducing the dropout rate. Gupta says, “Our children come from the most downtrodden sections, and I feel great in reaching out.”

A teacher at Baljeet Nagar-II School, Pradeep Kumar, has been instrumental in helping students win prizes at science model-making competitions for five consecutive years. He says, “My only aim is to inspire students to study.”

Each award winner received a cash prize of Rs 10,000, an opportunity to interact with teachers of a model school, participate in a residential training programme and got coupons to purchase teaching aids.