City’s mathematics teacher selected for national award

Revathy Parameswaran’s one goal was to remove the fear of mathematics in her students. “Maths is a lot more than formulae. When you make the concepts clearer through activities and real life situations, they will understand that it is not disconnected from life,” said Ms. Revathy, Principal of P.S. Senior Secondary School, Mylapore.

Ms. Revathy, along with Vijayalakshmi of Tiruppur’s Bharathiyar Centenary school, has been selected from Tamil Nadu for the National Teacher Award 2025. A total of 45 teachers will receive the award at a ceremony in New Delhi on September 5. They will be honoured with a certificate of merit, a cash award of ₹50,000, and a silver medal.

A maths teacher for the past 34 years, Ms. Revathy does not believe in rote learning. “Today, we can teach so many of these mathematical concepts through software, such as Geogebra, where students can visualise concepts in real time,” she added.

Ms. Revathy has written multiple articles on teaching, and is a Fulbright scholarship awardee. She has co-authored the NCERT Class 11 textbook, apart from teaching her colleagues to incorporate software in maths classes.

The 59-year-old credits her husband, a mathematical research scientist, for her deep understanding of the subject. “The pedagogy – to narrow down the concepts to their simplest form – is mine, but the deeper understanding of the subject, I learnt from my husband,” she said.

Ms. Revathy has been recognised for her role as a teacher (in simplifying concepts), and as an administrator. “As a principal, we need to ensure the holistic development of students. It cannot be limited to extra-curriculars, but must also include co-curriculars,” she said.

From organising treks to making community service an important part of the curriculum, Ms. Revathy has ensured that students get an opportunity to experience everything.

So what’s next for the principal? To continue teaching, she stressed. “This award is a pat on my back, a source of encouragement to continue my efforts. I want to get more students interested in mathematics,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shankar Sriram, Dean and Tata Communications Chair Professor of Cybersecurity, SASTRA Deemed University, has also been selected to receive the award in the Higher Education Engineering category.