PANJIM: Despite having stiff challenges in his way, Avinash Parkhe, a special educator from Disha School for Special Children, Panjim has been taking them in his stride since last 30 years and has managed to make a difference in the lives of differently-abled children.
It is for this reason, he has been selected for this year’s National Teachers Award, which he will receive alongside 75 other educators at the hands of President of India Droupadi Murmu on September 5, celebrated as Teachers Day. He will receive a certificate, a cash prize of Rs 50,000, and a silver medal.
In fact, Parkhe is the only special educator from entire country who has been selected for this coveted award this year. Incidentally, Parkhe had earlier won the State Teachers’ Awards 2019-20 in 2020 under Primary Teacher category.
Reflecting upon his journey, Parkhe said, “It has been a very satisfying journey for me as a special educator over a period of 30 years. This has been possible mainly because of the support and trust of my students and colleagues. I feel extremely elated and grateful to the Government for selecting me. In fact, I am the only special educator to get selected for the National Award this year.”
He said that over a period of time, he has tweaked his teaching methodology to suit the needs of the special children.
“I introduced lot of interactive teaching and e-learning material to make the learning process more engaging. I use E-learning material, mainly comprising of animated power points, to teach various concepts. I also do a lot of activities for joyful learning,” he said.
Not many know that Parkhe did his BSc in physics. He could have easily pursued engineering career. Instead, he opted to become a special educator when this concept was unheard of, just for the love of these children and the challenge it posed. And he doesn’t regret his decision.
“I am glad that I chose to be a special educator. I have learnt a lot from my students and their parents. The biggest virtue I inculcated from them is patience and persistence,” he said.
