Tripura Teacher National Awardee Anjan Banik Proudly Recognised As Registered National Mentor For School Teachers Under NMM National Program At NCTE Of Ministry Of Education.

Agartala, Tripura, 4th of September, 2026 : National Award-winning Science Teacher, Science Communicator and Educational Researcher Shri Anjan Banik of Agartala, Tripura, has been proudly recognised as registered National Mentor for School Teachers under NMM National Program at National Council of Teacher Education – NCTE of Ministry of Education of Govt of India. He is the Solo Teacher educator from Tripura state and ever first person from Tripura got such recognition from NCTE of Ministry of Education under NMM National Program.

Anjan Banik, well known Assistant Science Teacher has been selected and registered as the solo and ever first educator mentor under this educational mentoring’s national program by the Ministry of Education of Govt of India jointly with National Council of Teacher Education – NCTE scrutinising his achievements especially as the solo recipient of NCSTC, Ministry & Dept of Science & Technology, Govt of India conferred the highest civilian national award, the National Award for Science & Technology Communication for the year 2022, which national award uniquely  remain uncompilable to any other as entitled with the Highest monetary prize benefits and also granting the revocable permission recently (on 30/08/2026 Vide F.4 (Misc-I)SE/E(Trg.)/2025) approved by the competent authorities of Directorate of Secondary Education, Govt of Tripura.

The venture of Ministry of Education of Govt of India jointly with National Council of Teacher Education – NCTE enrolled 20227 active registered platform users, 5881 experienced certified Teacher mentors and 14344 teachers interested for mentorship with a maximum number of school heads from the whole country under this said mentoring for better education to build the Vikshit Bharat.

Educational experts indicate such recognition as one milestone for the State’s educational status and a new beginning for state’s educational struggle in achieving of its desire goals and also an opportunity in establishing the state’s uplifted values in the field of education as an model for the rest India. Experts also described Anjan Banik as a pathfinder to the state’s educational ecosystem struggling to mark its status on the map of New India.

Shri Anjan Banik is widely recognized as one of India’s distinguished science teachers and science communicators, science writer author. He is presently serving as an Assistant Science Teacher of Tripura, under the Directorate of Secondary Education, Government of Tripura. He is the recipient of the prestigious National Award for Science and Technology Communication (2022–23) conferred by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department – Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, carrying one of the highest prize amounts of ₹2 lakh in the category and he is the only and ever first recipient of this national award belongs to State Tripura even only from Northeastern India and even from East India also. Shri Banik has earned national recognition for promoting scientific temper among school students beyond the boundaries of State Tripura and Northeast region at National level Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, Agartala or Arunachal to Ahmedabad, Puduchery to Panjab, Chennai to chandigarh through science communication, innovative pedagogy, metacognitive educational research and teacher education. His science educational research works and educational innovations have been acknowledged by premier institutions including CSIR–National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology, ISRO, NCERT New Delhi, Regional Institutes of Education at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, besides his participation in the India International Science Festival (IISF) at Kolkata being Guest Presenter on Tripura’s contribution to Indian science movements and also India International Science Festival (IISF) at Chandigarh and numerous national and international seminars, conferences and workshops. Recently Anjan Banik in association of Chaya Prakashani of Kolkata, which is a concern of big text book publishing house S Chand group, has been authored the school science books developed by NCERT for students of class seven and class eight emphasising on Competency based education and new age Analysis and Evaluation Application cognitive level-oriented science studying opportunities.

Following his conferment of the prestigious NCSTC National Award for Science and Technology Communication on National Science Day 2023, Shri Banik has continued contributing to national science communication programmes, teacher capacity building and research-based educational reforms benefiting aspiring science students and future scientists throughout India by continuously conducting “India International Sarabhai Student Scientist Award” Mega event and ever first digitization of traditional puppetry culture for scientific temperament and for education in a joyful manner oriented mega event “Sir J C Bose International Science Math Puppetry Film Festival” for last 8 years.

Describing the Mission of Mentoring from the National level, in a write up in favour of this NMM Program in a booklet published by the Ministry of Education of Govt of India jointly with National Council of Teacher Education – NCTE, Reflecting his confidence and describing the program as a valuable resource for teachers and Mentors alike, guiding them towards excellence in teaching and learning, then the Hon’ble Union Minister of Education; Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of Government of India Sri Dharmendra Pradhan Said, “The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions a transformative educational system that empowers teachers to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment for every student. But this vision hinges on a vital element: empowered teachers. The policy recognizes the critical role that teachers play in shaping the future of our nation. Aligning with this vision, the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) aims to provide mentorship support to all school teachers in India and create a network of Mentors who will support and empower teachers to improve their teaching practices and enhance their overall professional growth and development. This mission is not merely about support; it’s about unleashing potential. Through rigorous and sustained mentorship, teachers will be able to develop and refine their skills to meet the diverse learning needs of their students, and create a positive impact on their lives. The National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) under the able task of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) of Ministry of Education is a roadmap to excellence, outlining clear objectives, effective strategies, and practical guidelines for both teachers and Mentors. It provides a structured framework for equipping our teachers with the 21stcentury skills they need to nurture in their students, building a generation ready to not just survive, but thrive, in the dynamic world that awaits.”

Pointing out the program that mark innovative milestones, in her write up in favour of this NMM Program, then the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India Smt Annpurna Devi Said, “By recognising various professionals as Mentors for school teachers, the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) introduces a transformative approach to education. Harnessing technology for dynamic Mentor-Mentee interactions, the mission emphasises the invaluable role teachers play in shaping one another’s professional growth. Smt Devi expresses her commend their efforts and look forward to NMM empowering educators and fostering a future of enlightened education in our country.

The then Secretary Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India Sri Sanjay Kumar IAS congratulates National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) of Ministry of Education for this collaborative exercise in conceptualising and coming forward with the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) program. Sri Sanjay Kumar IAS Said in his write up in favour of this NMM Program, “The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasises quality education by promoting flexibility, creativity and innovation in teaching-learning. The National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) for Teachers will provide platforms for professionals and experts where they can share knowledge, skills and expertise as a Mentor with Mentee teachers and help them in their journey to become effective teachers.”

The then Chairperson of New Delhi based National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) of Ministry of Education Prof. Yogesh Singh described about the program by his words of wisdom, “NEP 2020 emphasises the crucial role of effective teachers in fulfilling educational aspirations. Mentoring, recognising the power of relationships, supports educators and leaders for the demands of the 21st century. The National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) is committed to providing institutional support through structured mentoring relationships. The NMM will empower teachers to shape the future, fostering critical thinking and adaptability.” He urged NCTE and the School education Department to ensure the reach of this program to all school teachers to seize this opportunity, actively participating to this mission as mentee.

The Mission for Mentoring from National level (NMM) focused to promote the structured sharing of ideas for mutual professional development would facilitate rapid development of the Indian education system leveraging existing resources. In line with this, NCTE proposes a nationwide mission for mentoring to improve the acquisition and sharing of knowledge, skills and values for school teachers.

In today’s unprecedented demands and challenges, teachers require new solutions. The community of educators in education in itself is rich with experts, who have the knowledge and skills to contribute towards problem-solving and capacity building of peers. Systems that are able to adapt to the continuously changing environment, can provide their citizens with the right mix of skills to enable them to lead fulfilling personal and professional lives. This leads to inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Therefore, a mentoring system provides a solution to address the existing gaps in a more decentralised manner. These are the gaps in accessing expertise, continuous professional development, connecting with peers from similar contexts and the absence of a platform to leverage cross-learning. Mentoring offers individuals the opportunity to engage in learning with an experienced professional. The different ways of engaging in Mentor-Mentee interactions can enable skill and capacity building for teachers. This provides opportunities to network with experts, engage in forums to exchange learnings and best practices and disseminate findings across various domains such as school leadership and management, curriculum, pedagogy, educational policies and assessments etc. The hierarchical, unidirectional, top-down flow of information and learning, often designed as training events, have been prevalent woes in the current education system. Mentoring has an opportunity to soften the boundaries of hierarchies and bring a fundamental paradigm shift. It will make learning more peer and community-led. It will also make learning more personalised and continuous. Mentoring gives rise to a collaborative agency for stakeholders where the community fosters the spirit of learning, reflection and sharing towards capacity building.

The ultimate goal is improvement in school education through enhanced, decentralised leadership in education. For instance, mentoring should be used to accelerate skill building among teachers to expand their knowledge base, develop their skills and prepare them better to address the challenges in a classroom, thereby improving the daily dissemination of education for a set of students; this may prove to be a fast and effective way for schools to grow into great learning institutions. The mission is also an opportunity to allow for a more decentralised approach to capacity building by allowing concerned stakeholders/institutions at the state or district levels to play a role in promoting mentorship. Further down the road, the mission can be extended to mentoring for school leaders and educational administrators as well. While achieving these goals is a continuous journey, there are some concrete stages of the mission that will indicate its progress.

The Mentor, in a mentoring relationship, needs to be trusted by the other stakeholders involved in the structure. The process adopted to select the Mentor plays a vital role in developing trust in Mentors and consequently in the way mentoring interactions are accessed. Hence Selection of Anjan Banik will be a new beginning for the state’s standard in national level mentoring of school teachers and should lead to Vikshit Tripura.