Seekho Sikhao Foundation Announces Inaugural Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 to Recognise Excellence in Public Education Across Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow, August 20, 2026: Seekho Sikhao Foundation (SSF), a non-profit grassroot education initiative supported by Dalmia Bharat Foundation, today announced the launch of the inaugural Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 — a first-of-its-kind, statewide recognition initiative honouring the individuals and institutions driving change within Uttar Pradesh's public education system. Covering all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, the Awards will showcase teachers, schools, Gram Panchayats and Block Resource Centres demonstrating excellence in teaching and learning, school governance, community participation and educational outcomes.
Positioned as the first award to honour all pillars of public education together, the Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 will recognise excellence across five categories — Shikshak Award, Vidyalaya Award, Gram Panchayat Award, BRC Award and Balika Shiksha Award. The first four categories recognise excellence across the key pillars of the public education system, while the statewide Balika Shiksha Award will recognise an individual teacher who best reflects the vision of an educated and empowered girl child. A key outcome of the awards will be the creation of a State Playbook documenting effective and scalable practices emerging across the public education system.
Smt. Anupama Dalmia, Founder, Seekho Sikhao Foundation, said, "We started Seekho Sikhao on the simple belief that lasting change in education cannot come from one organisation alone. It comes when teachers, families, communities and government systems work together and take ownership of a child's learning. The Seekho Sikhao Awards are an effort to celebrate this collective effort and recognise the people who are helping make it stronger."
Mr. Ashok Gupta, CEO, Dalmia Bharat Foundation, said, "Our commitment to education is rooted in supporting initiatives that create lasting impact at the community level. The Seekho Sikhao Awards bring attention to the people and practices driving this change across Uttar Pradesh. We are pleased to support an initiative that celebrates these efforts and encourages wider learning from them."
Applications for the Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 will open on August 21, 2026 and close on September 20, 2026. Nominations will be assessed across four regions — Western Uttar Pradesh, Central Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal — with one winner and one runner-up selected per category, per region. Together with the statewide Balika Shiksha Award, the inaugural edition will recognise 17 winners and 16 runner-ups from across the state. Winners of the inaugural Seekho Sikhao Awards will be announced on November 26, 2026 — Samvidhan Divas (Constitution Day) — at a ceremony in Lucknow, marking the day India honours the founding document that guaranteed every citizen the right to education. Nominations can be submitted online across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh at www.seekhosikhao.org.
About Seekho Sikhao Foundation:
Seekho Sikhao Foundation (SSF) is a non-profit organisation set up in July 2019 with a purpose of partnering with the government to bridge critical gaps in delivering quality education across Uttar Pradesh. SSF works through three strategic pillars: Competency-Based Education, Institutionalisation of Community Participation and Rural Youth Fellowship, to bring sustainable, systemic change to government schools. As of FY 2025-26, SSF's work spans 15 districts, 874 schools, 453 Gram Panchayats and 44 blocks of Uttar Pradesh.
About Dalmia Bharat Foundation:
Dalmia Bharat Foundation focuses on building sustainable livelihoods and ensuring rural development in its program areas. These programs combine in-depth, long-term plans and strategies along with medium and short-term initiatives and campaigns. Owing to the great differences across locations, DBF has adopted a flexible, multi-intervention approach that allows programs and people to grow together and sustain each other. The two focus areas have been derived from the felt needs of the community and issues material to the business. Visit us at http://www.dalmiabharatfoundation.org.
Positioned as the first award to honour all pillars of public education together, the Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 will recognise excellence across five categories — Shikshak Award, Vidyalaya Award, Gram Panchayat Award, BRC Award and Balika Shiksha Award. The first four categories recognise excellence across the key pillars of the public education system, while the statewide Balika Shiksha Award will recognise an individual teacher who best reflects the vision of an educated and empowered girl child. A key outcome of the awards will be the creation of a State Playbook documenting effective and scalable practices emerging across the public education system.
Smt. Anupama Dalmia, Founder, Seekho Sikhao Foundation, said, "We started Seekho Sikhao on the simple belief that lasting change in education cannot come from one organisation alone. It comes when teachers, families, communities and government systems work together and take ownership of a child's learning. The Seekho Sikhao Awards are an effort to celebrate this collective effort and recognise the people who are helping make it stronger."
Mr. Ashok Gupta, CEO, Dalmia Bharat Foundation, said, "Our commitment to education is rooted in supporting initiatives that create lasting impact at the community level. The Seekho Sikhao Awards bring attention to the people and practices driving this change across Uttar Pradesh. We are pleased to support an initiative that celebrates these efforts and encourages wider learning from them."
Applications for the Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026 will open on August 21, 2026 and close on September 20, 2026. Nominations will be assessed across four regions — Western Uttar Pradesh, Central Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal — with one winner and one runner-up selected per category, per region. Together with the statewide Balika Shiksha Award, the inaugural edition will recognise 17 winners and 16 runner-ups from across the state. Winners of the inaugural Seekho Sikhao Awards will be announced on November 26, 2026 — Samvidhan Divas (Constitution Day) — at a ceremony in Lucknow, marking the day India honours the founding document that guaranteed every citizen the right to education. Nominations can be submitted online across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh at www.seekhosikhao.org.
About Seekho Sikhao Foundation:
Seekho Sikhao Foundation (SSF) is a non-profit organisation set up in July 2019 with a purpose of partnering with the government to bridge critical gaps in delivering quality education across Uttar Pradesh. SSF works through three strategic pillars: Competency-Based Education, Institutionalisation of Community Participation and Rural Youth Fellowship, to bring sustainable, systemic change to government schools. As of FY 2025-26, SSF's work spans 15 districts, 874 schools, 453 Gram Panchayats and 44 blocks of Uttar Pradesh.
About Dalmia Bharat Foundation:
Dalmia Bharat Foundation focuses on building sustainable livelihoods and ensuring rural development in its program areas. These programs combine in-depth, long-term plans and strategies along with medium and short-term initiatives and campaigns. Owing to the great differences across locations, DBF has adopted a flexible, multi-intervention approach that allows programs and people to grow together and sustain each other. The two focus areas have been derived from the felt needs of the community and issues material to the business. Visit us at http://www.dalmiabharatfoundation.org.