CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The International Education group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) today announced science teacher, Soma Mandal, as the regional winner of the 2026 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards in the South Asia region. Soma was selected by the judges for her dedication to empowering pupils to participate in the ‘worldwide fight against climate change’.
Soma is one of nine regional winners of the global Cambridge competition that celebrates the achievements of teachers around the world. As a regional winner, Soma will win £500 worth of books for her class, a trophy, and receive publicity for herself and her school during the coming year. She will also appear on a ‘Thank you’ page at the front of a range of new Cambridge textbooks, available to the public from November 2026.
With over 10 years’ teaching experience, Soma is dedicated to positioning climate education at the heart of student learning. A master’s graduate in environmental science, she developed a climate-focused curriculum at her school, GD Goenka Public School, Delhi, in which she inspires students to emerge as confident agents of climate action and sustainable change.
Soma said, “This recognition belongs to my students, whose commitment to climate action inspires me every time I step into the classroom. This award strengthens my resolve to embed climate education throughout learning, making sustainability tangible and connected to real challenges. I believe that when we equip young minds to respond to the climate crisis, they discover they have agency and voice. My students have shown me they are ready to act… Our role is simply to create the space and support for them to do so.”
Global winner voting
The Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards highlights the important role that teachers play in shaping the lives of their learners and preparing them for the world beyond school. It gives students, parents and peers the chance to nominate a current primary or secondary teacher for outstanding commitment to their students’ education. By going to dedicatedteacher.cambridge.org/vote, the public can now vote for Soma, or another of the nine regional winners to become the overall, global winner of the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards 2026. The deadline to vote is 13:30 (IST) on 13 May 2026 and the winner will be announced on 2 June 2026.
The 2026 competition received over 12,000 nominations for teachers in 126 different countries around the world. Nominations not only thanked teachers for the hard work they put into teaching, but also for all the extra things they do to ensure their students are happy and healthy.
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