In 2008, a young teacher began her career in a small government school in Kamareddy district, Telangana. In 2026, Bhavani Bompelly stood at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to receive the National Teachers Award from President Droupadi Murmu.
Her story is a reminder that a government school is only as small as the effort put into it.
From 40 Students to 130: How Bhavani Bompelly Rebuilt Her School’s Future
Bompelly teaches at the Mandal Parishad Primary School (Girls), Gandhari, in Kamareddy district. According to the Daily Pioneer, she helped raise enrolment at her school from just 40 students in 2018 to around 130 today. That is more than three times the number of children choosing to study there. For a small government school in a rural mandal, that kind of growth rarely happens on its own.
It usually means parents began to trust the school again. It also means a teacher was willing to change how she worked, year after year, until families noticed the difference. This growth is also notable because the school is exclusively for girls, which makes the rise from 40 to 130 stand out even more. Bompelly herself has said that award or no award, her focus remains on doing her best for the students in front of her, a mindset that likely shaped this steady growth.
Play, Digital Tools and Low-Cost Aids: Her Approach to Everyday Teaching
Growth in numbers came from a change in how she taught. The Daily Pioneer reports that Bompelly introduced pre-primary classes at her school and adopted teaching methods built around play-based learning, digital tools, low-cost teaching aids and activity-based mathematics. Deccan Chronicle reports that these methods made mathematics and language easier to learn.
“We have recently started introducing technical education as well,” she said. She also runs two educational YouTube channels. One focuses on student activities, and the other supports children preparing for competitive examinations. According to the Times of India, she has created 1,336 teaching videos, which have together crossed 57 crore views. Her lessons now travel far beyond her classroom walls.
A Career Built on Small Steps, Not Sudden Recognition
Bompelly was appointed as a teacher on 28 February 2008. Recognition did not come overnight. She won the State Best Teacher Award in 2025, 17 years into her career, before her work was recognised nationally the following year. To reach the national award, she had to go through a three-stage selection process at the district, state and national levels, after submitting an online self-nomination.
This process ran across the whole country between 15 June and 20 July 2026, before she was chosen as one of only 48 teachers nationwide. She also travelled to Finland as part of a government teacher-exchange programme, according to Deccan Chronicle, bringing new ideas back to her classroom in Kamareddy. Her path shows that consistent, small efforts over many years can eventually lead to recognition on a national stage, even for a teacher working in a small rural school.
The National Teachers Award, and What Her Story Means for Parents
Deccan Chronicle reports that the Union Department of School Education and Literacy selected the 48 school teachers for the National Teachers Award 2026. The teachers came from 27 states, seven Union Territories and six Central government organisations. Among them, 26 were men and 22 were women, and Bompelly was the only school teacher selected from Telangana.
Speaking about her work, she said she has focused on joyful teaching, student activities and the holistic development of her students. She said her family was very excited about her trip to Delhi, and that award or no award, she plans to continue doing her best for her students.
Her journey also shows parents and communities something simple. Recognition can take years to arrive, and that delay does not make the work any less valuable. She kept teaching the same way long before any award came, and more families in Gandhari chose to send their children to her school because of it.
The Wise Take
Bhavani Bompelly did not wait for an award to start caring about her students. She built her school’s future one small change at a time, from a rhyme to a low-cost teaching aid. Her results offer a simple lesson for parents, teachers and communities. Change in a classroom rarely happens overnight, but it does happen when someone keeps showing up.
Also read our other article on Rouble Nagi: The Teacher Who Turned India’s Neglected Walls Into Classrooms with her learning centres
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