For Rajesh Kouluri, a primary school classroom is more than a place where lessons are taught. It is a space where children should discover, experiment and learn with curiosity. That belief has now earned the 41-year-old teacher a place among the 48 school teachers selected for the National Teachers’ Awards 2026.

Kouluri, who teaches at Mandal Parishad Primary School in Chinamallupeta, Vizianagaram district, is the only government school teacher from Andhra Pradesh among this year’s awardees. He will receive the honour from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on September 5, Teachers’ Day.

Bringing AI Into Primary Education

What sets Kouluri apart is the way he uses technology to tackle some of the biggest challenges faced by rural learners. He has independently developed an AI-integrated learning management system for young students, aligned with the foundational literacy and numeracy goals of NEP 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission.

The platform offers mini-lessons in Telugu, English and Mathematics, along with voice recognition, text assistance, individual student logins and gamified activities. Students progress through lessons in sequence, with reinforcement activities appearing after every three lessons. The goal is ambitious yet practical—to help children build essential foundational skills within three to four months.

His Hello Dhriti app has reportedly reached more than 15,000 students across 2,472 schools in the Telugu states, according to The New Indian Express.

Technology That Reaches Beyond the Classroom

Kouluri’s innovations don’t stop when the school bell rings. To help children from economically disadvantaged rural families prepare for entrance examinations such as those for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools, he created an AI-powered learning bot integrated with online messaging platforms.

Students can enter a textbook page number, subject and topic on their phones and receive explanations, key points and practice quizzes—bringing learning support to children who may otherwise struggle to afford private coaching. His educational website, rajclassroom.com, has been running for more than a decade and has recorded over 25 lakh visits. It features 80 lessons, 50 videos and 20 games.

A Teacher Who Knows the Journey

Kouluri’s passion for rural education is deeply personal. A government-school student himself, he joined government service in 2010 and has spent 15 years teaching across five rural schools. His approach centres on “learning by doing”, using hands-on activities, teacher-created videos and practical resources instead of relying solely on rote learning.

His work earned recognition even before this national honour. In 2017, the British Council featured his classroom innovations in a Teaching with Technology case study. Speaking to The Times of India, Kouluri said his next goal is to keep developing resources specifically for rural students.

For him, the award is not an endpoint. It is a reminder of the responsibility that comes with showing what technology can do when it reaches the children who need it most.