Honouring Our Highly Commended Nominees –
The Renu Dasgupta Memorial Prize, 2025
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Highly commended for transforming classrooms into empathetic spaces where learners of all abilities can belong and thrive. Her work ensures that every child feels seen, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.
Nilanjana Bera Dasmajumder
HOD
Inclusion and Additional Learning Support,
Pathways School, Noida, India
A registered special educator since 2006, Smt. Nilanjana has dedicated her career to advancing inclusive education beginning with community-based rehabilitation and now serving as HOD – Inclusion and Additional Learning Support at an IB school.
She ensures that children with diverse needs, whether autism, ADHD, dyslexia, developmental delays, communication delays, selective mutism, or children with sensory processing needs etc. are fully supported through tailored interventions, curriculum modifications, sensory accommodations, and strong advocacy.
Her approach normalizes neurodivergence, builds empathy among peers, and guarantees fairness in assessments through access arrangements such as extra time, scribes, and readers.
Beyond academics, she nurtures social and emotional well-being, combats bullying, supports transitions to higher education, and even assists families across India in securing equitable opportunities.
Her work exemplifies the transformational power of inclusive education creating classrooms where every learner feels valued, prepared, and empowered for life.
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Prity Pathak
School Coordinator and Learning Facilitator
Aatman Academy, Maharashtra, India
Highly commended for nurturing joyful, inclusive classrooms where learning is customized to each child’s needs and strengths. Her creative teaching and Dance Movement Therapy sessions inspire confidence, expression, and growth, helping every learner feel connected and celebrated.
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At Aatman Academy - ranked among India’s top institutions for special needs education - Smt. Prity Pathak has been teaching since 2017, bringing vibrancy and creativity into her classrooms. As an English Learning Facilitator, she nurtures curiosity and joy through customized, interactive, and student-centered approaches.
Her classes balance rigour with empathy from role plays and storytelling to technology integration and group projects. She ensures that every learner, regardless of their challenges, feels confident, engaged, and inspired to grow.
Prity also conducts Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) sessions for students, using movement, rhythm, and self-expression to support mental health, emotional regulation, and cognitive growth. Her sessions provide students with a safe and creative outlet for their feelings, fostering resilience and self-confidence.
Her approach embodies the belief that learning flourishes when students feel accepted, supported, and celebrated for who they are.
Anuradha Dosad
Assistant Teacher
Jagriti Hindi Vidyamandir, West Bengal, India
Highly commended for her extraordinary commitment to teaching in under-resourced environments with courage and compassion. Through care, advocacy, and awareness, she empowers her students to learn with dignity, stay safe, and believe in brighter possibilities.
Teaching in a severely under-resourced school environment, Smt. Anuradha Dosad has shown extraordinary commitment to her students at Jagriti Hindi Vidyamandir. Despite limited tools and systemic challenges, she ensures that her students don’t just memorise content, but grow into true learners and critical thinkers.
She goes far beyond her teaching duties providing individual support for slow learners, conducting counselling sessions, and advocating for students’ academic and emotional well-being. Notably, she has organised workshops on gender sensitivity, sex education, and personal safety, creating vital awareness and safer spaces for her students.
Her courage and compassion shine through even in the face of systemic obstacles like misuse of resources and corruption. For her students, she is not just a teacher but a mentor, guide, and advocate bringing dignity, awareness, and opportunity to young lives in challenging circumstances.