The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has announced four distinguished school leaders as the recipients of the Derozio Awards 2025, recognizing their exceptional contribution to education and their role in shaping vibrant learning communities across the country.

The national honour — among the most respected distinctions in Indian school education — celebrates educators whose work has left a profound mark across primary, middle, secondary, senior secondary education and institutional leadership. The awards will be conferred on Friday by former Supreme Court judge and former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Vikramjit Sen.

The ceremony will be held in Chandigarh during the School Heads’ Meet organized by the Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate.

Each award comprises a 24-gram gold medal, a silver-engraved citation plaque, a scroll, and a cash prize of ₹1 lakh.

‘Extraordinary dedication and human impact’

Applauding the educators, CISCE Chief Executive and Secretary Joseph Emmanuel said the 2025 honourees exemplify “extraordinary dedication, bold innovation and deep human impact,” noting that the selection process reaffirmed the remarkable transformation unfolding across CISCE schools through visionary leadership.

This year’s awardees are:

·        Shinoj Kizhakkemuriyil, Principal, St Antony’s School, Ghaziabad

·        Priti Sinha, Principal, Gulmohar High School, Jamshedpur

·        Seena Joseph, Principal, Auxilium Nava Jyoti School, Kerala

·        Kusum Uniyal, TGT Science, Jyoti Vidyalaya, Joshimath, Uttarakhand

Though they work in diverse settings, all four are credited with strengthening student development, improving school culture and advancing innovative and inclusive teaching practices.

Leadership meet brings together more than 2,000 school heads

The awards ceremony coincides with the two-day School Heads’ Conference, which opened on Thursday with over 2,000 delegates from CISCE-affiliated institutions nationwide. Anchored around the theme “Building stronger schools together,” the forum focuses on collective strategies to drive sustained educational progress.

Addressing the inaugural session, Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal emphasised the need for stronger collaboration between schools, universities and national stakeholders. “We must prepare students not just for white-collar jobs, but for sports, entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said, urging institutions to broaden their vision of career readiness.

As school leaders conclude their deliberations, the conference is expected to lay out a forward-looking roadmap aimed at enhancing school leadership, enriching learning outcomes, and positioning CISCE institutions at the forefront of India’s educational future.