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Professor Rajiv Chaudhary of Pt Ravishankar Shukla University (PTRSU) has been selected for the National Teachers’ Award 2026 for his contribution to education in the field of Physical Education and Yoga.

Reacting to the recognition, Chaudhary said he was deeply honoured and had never imagined receiving the national award.

“The happiness is such that it cannot be expressed in words. I am deeply gratified that the selection committee has recognised my work with this award,” he told ANI.

He also thanked the Chief Minister, Education Minister and the university's Vice-Chancellor for supporting his work and providing opportunities to contribute in different areas.

President Murmu to confer awards on September 5

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the National Teachers’ Awards on September 5, 2026, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.

A total of 48 teachers have been selected for this year's awards. Short documentaries highlighting the work and achievements of the awardees will also be showcased during the ceremony.

Three-stage selection process

The National Teachers’ Awards are organised annually by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education to recognise teachers who have made significant contributions to improving the quality of education and enriching students' lives.

For the 2026 awards, eligible teachers were invited to submit online self-nominations between June 15 and July 20.

The final selection was conducted through a three-stage process at the district, state and national levels.

The 48 awardees include teachers from 27 states, seven Union Territories and six Central Government organisations. The group comprises 26 men and 22 women.

The award ceremony will be broadcast on Doordarshan and SWAYAM PRABHA channels and streamed through the Ministry of Education's official digital platforms.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke has written an open letter to education ministers across states, seeking answers on the condition of government schools, teacher vacancies, funding and digital infrastructure.

The letter comes amid CJP's ongoing 'School Thik Karo' campaign, under which its leaders and volunteers are visiting government schools to assess their facilities.

Six questions on government schools

Dipke questioned whether government schools across India have adequate basic facilities such as safe drinking water, functional toilets, classrooms and benches.

He asked state education ministers to provide data on:

• The number of government schools renovated in the past five years and those currently requiring repairs or complete renovation.
• The number of sanctioned teaching posts, filled positions and existing vacancies.
• Funds allocated to government schools over the past five years and the amount actually spent.
• The additional number of government schools required to provide children reasonable access to quality education.
• Non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers.
• The number of schools with adequate computers, digital learning facilities, functional toilets and sports infrastructure.

Dipke said access to basic educational facilities should not depend on a child's location or financial background.

“We hope your ministry will make this information public and take urgent steps to ensure that no child is denied a dignified education because of inadequate infrastructure,” the letter said.

'School Thik Karo' campaign

The questions were raised as part of CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign, launched on August 15. Dipke began the campaign by visiting a government school in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district.

The organisation said its volunteers would continue visiting schools despite facing challenges, including being denied entry at some institutions.

CJP announces September 5 march

CJP has also announced a peaceful march from India Gate to Delhi Police headquarters on September 5.

According to the organisation, the march will involve families of deceased NEET candidates and people who were allegedly subjected to police action during the July 20 'Sansad Chalao' protest.

CJP has alleged that the government has not fulfilled commitments it made on July 25, including assurances concerning FIRs against students and protesters and compensation for families of deceased NEET candidates.

The organisation said the September 5 march would seek accountability for those commitments while continuing to raise issues concerning students and public education.

West Bengal is moving towards the full implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to support the process.

State School Education Minister Dipak Barman announced the plan on Monday while addressing a state-level workshop attended by district inspectors of schools and education department officials at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.

Barman acknowledged that West Bengal was “somewhat behind” in implementing NEP 2020 but said the state was working to complete the process as quickly as possible.

NCERT to Support Teachers and Schools

Under the proposed MoU, NCERT will provide teacher orientation programmes, technical guidance and academic support to help West Bengal implement the new education framework.

The minister said NCERT's assistance would be aimed at addressing challenges ranging from technical issues to implementing the policy at the school level.

The collaboration is expected to provide teachers and education officials with greater support as the state transitions towards the NEP framework.

New Textbooks to Be Introduced in 2028

Barman said the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) will serve as the basis for developing the state's curriculum and textbooks.

The framework will guide decisions on what students learn, how subjects are taught and how learning outcomes are assessed.

The state's syllabus committee will also take guidance from the NCF while preparing the curriculum.

According to Barman, textbooks developed under the new framework are expected to be introduced from the 2028 academic year. NCERT will provide support during the development process.

Private Schools Asked to Update UDISE+ Data

The minister also raised concerns over incomplete student data on the UDISE+ portal, particularly among private schools.

UDISE+ is the central government's school education database, through which institutions provide information on students, teachers and school infrastructure.

Barman said a large number of private schools had not uploaded student-related information. As a result, the database was showing some schools as having teachers but no students, despite those institutions operating normally.

He said the discrepancy was largely due to technical or other reasons and did not reflect the actual situation on the ground.

The state government has urged private schools to upload their complete information so that the UDISE+ database provides a more accurate picture of school enrolment and infrastructure in West Bengal.

State to Follow Its Own College Policies

Asked about the composition of college governing bodies and whether MLAs, MPs or ministers could have a role, Barman said West Bengal would follow its existing policies and procedures.

He said the state had its own system, policies and traditions and would not interfere in matters outside its framework.

The proposed NCERT partnership marks a significant step in West Bengal's effort to accelerate NEP 2020 implementation, with teacher training, curriculum reform and updated learning resources expected to form key parts of the transition.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pass an immediate order stopping the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) proposed September 5 march in Delhi, saying it could not presume that anything untoward would happen. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the government and police, while expecting all stakeholders to act peacefully and within the legal framework.

What did the Supreme Court say about the CJP September 5 march?

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard a plea seeking restrictions on the proposed CJP demonstration. The court declined to grant the immediate relief sought and said it would proceed on the assumption that all stakeholders would act responsibly and peacefully.

The bench also made it clear that the responsibility for maintaining law and order rests with the competent authorities. The court did not, however, grant the organisers any separate permission to conduct the march. The distinction is important as the proposed demonstration remains subject to the applicable rules and directions of the authorities.

The Supreme Court also issued notice to the Centre and Delhi Police and directed the petitioner to place the concerns before the authorities. The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 10.

When and where will the CJP march take place?

The Cockroach Janata Party has announced a September 5 march from India Gate to the New Delhi Police Headquarters. The organisation has described the proposed demonstration as peaceful and said it would bring together students, young people and others supporting its demands.

The proposed mobilisation follows an earlier CJP-led agitation connected with demands raised over the NEET controversy and alleged police action against protesters. The organisation had called off its earlier protest on July 25 after discussions with the government, but later alleged that some commitments made at the time had not been fulfilled.

Why is the CJP planning a September 5 protest?

According to reports, the CJP says several issues raised during its earlier agitation remain unresolved. These include demands concerning FIRs registered against protesters and other assurances that the organisation says were given during discussions with the Centre.

The group has also raised demands relating to families of students who died by suicide following the NEET controversy and alleged police excesses during previous demonstrations. These are claims and demands made by the organisation, rather than findings established by the Supreme Court in Monday's proceedings.

Has Delhi Police given permission for the CJP march?

The Supreme Court's decision should not be interpreted as permission from the court to hold the march. Delhi Police had earlier said that no formal permission had been sought for the proposed September 5 demonstration.

The court's decision was instead about whether it should impose a pre-emptive restriction on the proposed protest. By declining to do so at this stage, the bench left the handling of law-and-order arrangements to the government and police.

This means that the organisers and authorities will still have to comply with the applicable requirements governing public demonstrations in Delhi.

What happens next in the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court has kept the matter open and scheduled the next hearing for September 10. The petitioner has also been asked to place the concerns raised in the plea before the Centre and Delhi Police.

The court further directed the petitioner to approach the High Powered Enquiry Committee constituted to examine allegations relating to police violence during earlier NEET protests. The committee's proceedings and the September 10 hearing could provide further clarity on the issues raised before the court.

For now, the Supreme Court has not prohibited the proposed September 5 CJP march. At the same time, Monday's order does not amount to judicial approval of the event. The immediate responsibility for security and public order remains with the competent authorities.

What is the background to the CJP protest?

The CJP's latest mobilisation follows its earlier protests over issues surrounding NEET and alleged police action against demonstrators. The organisation had called off its earlier agitation in July after discussions with the government, but later claimed that commitments made during those discussions had not been fully implemented.

The September 5 march is therefore being presented by the organisation as a renewed mobilisation over those unresolved demands. The Supreme Court's latest proceedings have focused on whether the proposed demonstration should be restricted in advance, rather than determining the merits of all the demands raised by the CJP.

Key Points

• March: September 5, 2026
• Announced route: India Gate to New Delhi Police Headquarters
• Organisation: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)
• Supreme Court position: No immediate order to stop the proposed march
• Law and order: Responsibility of the competent government and police authorities
• Next hearing: September 10, 2026
• Important: The court's decision does not itself constitute permission for the march

The Supreme Court's order keeps the proposed September 5 demonstration in focus while leaving immediate security and law-and-order decisions to the authorities. The next hearing on September 10 is expected to take the matter forward.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has declared the results of the UGC-NET June 2026 examination, with 97,434 candidates qualifying for PhD admission and 4,241 candidates qualifying for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor categories.

The much-awaited results were announced for 6,07,151 candidates who appeared for examinations in 84 subjects conducted across June and July. Candidates can access their results and subject-wise cut-off marks through the official NTA website.

According to the NTA, 45,904 candidates qualified for eligibility related to Assistant Professor and PhD admissions. The agency has also released category-wise and subject-wise cut-off marks for candidates.

The UGC-NET June 2026 examination was conducted on June 22, 23, 24, 25, 29 and 30, and July 5. The examination was held across 655 examination centres in 286 cities across the country.

Before the declaration of results, the NTA had released provisional answer keys and recorded responses from August 16 to August 18, allowing candidates to raise objections against the answers.

Three UGC-NET Subjects Cancelled, Re-Exams Scheduled

The UGC-NET examination faced controversy after the tests for three subjects — Commerce, English and Sociology — were cancelled following reports of multiple typographical and factual errors in the question papers.

The re-examinations for these three subjects are scheduled to be conducted on September 9 and September 10. These subjects were among the 87 originally scheduled for the UGC-NET June 2026 cycle.

The second edition of the UGC-NET examination for 2026 is expected to be held in December.

CSIR-UGC NET and Other Results Also Released

The NTA has also announced the results of the Joint CSIR-UGC NET examination. A total of 1,50,057 candidates appeared for the examination, which was conducted on July 17 and 18 for five subjects across 224 cities.

In addition, the agency has released the results of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission (ICAR AIEEA) and the All India Competitive Examination (AICE) for Junior Research Fellowship and Senior Research Fellowship PhD programmes.

Meanwhile, the NTA has issued admit cards for the September 1 re-examination for 49 candidates of the All India Ayush Postgraduate Entrance Test (AIAPGET). These candidates were unable to appear for the examination on August 22 due to a power failure at their examination centre.

The latest announcements come amid heightened scrutiny of national-level entrance and eligibility examinations, particularly following the cancellation and rescheduling of the UGC-NET examinations in three major subjects.

The GATE 2027 registration process is set to begin online on August 27, 2026, giving aspiring engineering and postgraduate candidates an opportunity to apply for the examination conducted by IIT Madras.

Candidates planning to appear for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2027 should keep all required documents and personal and academic details ready before the application window opens.

Registration will be conducted through the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS). The deadline for submitting applications with the regular fee is September 27, 2026.

The GATE 2027 examination will be conducted on February 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2027.

Documents Required for GATE 2027

Candidates should prepare scanned copies of the required documents in advance. These include:

• Recent passport-size photograph in the prescribed format
• Scanned signature meeting the specified requirements
• Valid photo identity proof such as Aadhaar, PAN card, Voter ID or Driving Licence
• Category certificate, wherever applicable
• PwD certificate, wherever applicable
• Dyslexia certificate, wherever applicable
• Educational qualification and qualifying examination details
• Active mobile phone number and email ID
• Details required to complete the application fee payment

Candidates should ensure that photographs, signatures and certificates are clear and comply with the prescribed file format and size requirements. Incorrect or unclear documents can create problems during the application process.

Details Candidates Must Keep Ready

Apart from documents, applicants will need to enter several personal and academic details while completing the GATE application form.

These include the candidate's name, date of birth, contact details and qualifying examination information.

Applicants should carefully enter their details and ensure that information such as their name and date of birth matches their official records and supporting documents.

Candidates should also review their academic information before submitting the form to avoid errors.

Check Two-Paper Combinations

GATE 2027 candidates who intend to appear for two papers should carefully check the available two-paper combinations before making their selection.

The choice of papers should be made according to the eligibility criteria and available combinations specified for GATE 2027. Candidates should not assume that any two papers can be selected together.

Indian nationals should also check the DigiLocker-related requirements before beginning the registration process, as applicable to the application process.

GATE 2027 Application: Key Dates

With the registration window approaching, candidates are advised to prepare their documents, verify their academic records and keep their contact and payment details accessible.

Completing these preparations in advance can help aspirants avoid last-minute errors and submit the GATE 2027 application smoothly once registration opens.