Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava Honoured with Prestigious Shailesh Matiyani Award

Recognised for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Holistic Development of Students

Dehradun: Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava, Principal of Government Inter College Bhagwanpur Dharkot, Dehradun, has been honoured with the prestigious Shailesh Matiyani Award for his outstanding and innovative contribution to the field of education.

The award was presented to Dr. Srivastava at a grand and dignified ceremony held at Lok Bhavan. Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Gurmit Singh and Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat presented the honour. Dr. Srivastava was felicitated with a citation, a memento and a shawl.

Expressing his happiness over receiving the prestigious award, Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava said that the honour has increased his responsibility and motivated him to work with even greater dedication and commitment in the future. He expressed his gratitude to Governor Gurmit Singh, Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, senior officials of the Education Department, teachers and employees of the school, parents and all the students for placing their trust in him.

Dr. Srivastava said that his consistent objective has been to identify the potential of every child and guide them in the right direction according to their individual abilities. Under his leadership, students of the school have achieved remarkable success in both academics and sports.

Students of Government Inter College Bhagwanpur Dharkot have secured up to 99 percentile in JEE and have gone on to pursue engineering courses at prestigious institutions. At the same time, students from Dharkot, a relatively underdeveloped area with very limited sports facilities, have also earned the opportunity to participate in national-level tournaments.

Originally from Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava has been serving in various schools and institutions in Uttarakhand for nearly 30 years. He is currently serving as Principal of Government Inter College Bhagwanpur Dharkot, Dehradun.

From the beginning of his career, Dr. Srivastava has worked consistently for children belonging to economically weaker sections. He has established his identity as an innovative teacher and education administrator in the state.

Apart from being an accomplished teacher, Dr. Srivastava is known for his leadership skills and versatility. He has successfully handled several responsibilities assigned to him by the department. His work as Deputy Director at SCERT, District Nodal Officer of NSS, and his role in organising the district-level athletics event Doon Athletics Meet-24 have been particularly appreciated.

One of the most notable examples of Dr. Srivastava’s leadership is the arrangement of free meals for all students of Government Inter College Bhagwanpur Dharkot since October 2, 2019.

Since the school caters to students from Classes 9 to 12, it does not receive the government mid-day meal facility generally available up to Class 8. In the absence of departmental provision for students’ meals, the teachers and employees of the school have been collectively bearing the expenses of food, including the remuneration of cooks, through their own contributions.

The initiative has continued uninterrupted for nearly seven years and is being seen as an inspiring example of commitment towards students’ welfare.

Under Dr. Srivastava’s leadership, the school has also received support from various voluntary organisations, entrepreneurs and institutions to provide several facilities to students.

Students have been provided free school uniforms from time to time. Toilets have been constructed for girl students and several other infrastructure facilities have been developed with the support of various organisations and individuals.

To encourage academic excellence, meritorious and top-performing students have been provided cash awards of up to ₹10,000 per student, along with laptops and tablets.

Several important initiatives have been undertaken at Government Inter College Bhagwanpur under the leadership of Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava. These include:

Continuous arrangement of free meals for all students since October 2, 2019.

Teachers adopting students to provide them with educational and personal support.

Construction of a boundary wall.

Arrangement of essential furniture for students.

Provision of computers and projectors.

Cash awards of up to ₹10,000, laptops and tablets for meritorious students.

Construction of toilets for girl students.

Regular provision of free uniforms to students.

Construction of a tin shed over the prayer assembly area.

Installation of 3D paintings to encourage students towards art.

Maintaining a 100 per cent examination result for four consecutive years.

Helping students secure admission to NIT.

Encouraging and facilitating students to participate at the national level in sports.

Plantation drives and development of greenery across the school campus.

Following Dr. Atul Kumar Srivastava’s selection for the prestigious Shailesh Matiyani Award, senior officials of the Education Department and several prominent citizens congratulated him and extended their best wishes.

Those extending their congratulations included former Chief Education Officer Pradeep Rawat, Haridwar Chief Education Officer Amit Chand, Dehradun Chief Education Officer Govind Ram Jaiswal, and Block Education Officer Hemlata Gaur, besides school associates, including Anup Negi and Bhupendra Singh, parents and several distinguished citizens.

Dr. Srivastava expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the officials, teachers, employees, parents, students, colleagues and well-wishers whose support and encouragement contributed to his receiving the prestigious honour.

He said the award is not merely a personal achievement but a recognition of the collective efforts of everyone who has supported his vision of making education a powerful means of bringing positive change to society.