Rural Science Educator From Nellore Receives National Award

Tirupati: Subrahmanyam, curator of the District Science Centre, Nellore, has received the Shikshagraha Leadership Award at the national education conference InvokED 5.0: Mission to Movement, held in Bengaluru on Friday.

The award recognises his long-standing work in promoting science education in rural areas. Subrahmanyam was selected from among 6,500 teachers across the country, with only three educators chosen at the national level based on leadership and impact in education.

The award was presented by S. D. Shibulal and Kumari Shibulal of ShikshaLokam. B. Srinivasa Rao, State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha, Andhra Pradesh, attended the event and appreciated Subrahmanyam’s contribution to rural education. A citation was presented and financial support of ₹10 lakh was announced to help expand his programmes.

Subrahmanyam has been working for nearly three decades to make science learning accessible to children in villages. His initiative “Space on Wheels” operates as a mobile science laboratory, taking basic science equipment such as telescopes, microscopes and models to government schools and rural areas. Through this programme, more than 55,000 students and others have participated in hands-on science activities and astronomy observations. The initiative has received support from the Samagra Shiksha programme for its operations.