Some ideas do not arrive with noise. They grow quietly, shaped by necessity, sharpened by experience, and powered by belief. The story of Prasenjit Sarma belongs to this rare category. It is not merely the story of an award-winning teacher. It is the story of how intention, when paired with imagination, can transform education at scale.
On 29 November 2025, Sarma received the Global Teacher Award 2025 in New Delhi. The recognition was international, but its roots were unmistakably local. Long before global platforms took notice, the real work had already begun inside a government school classroom in Assam.
Where the Journey Began
Sarma entered the teaching profession in 2012 after qualifying the Teacher Eligibility Test. The environment he stepped into was familiar to educators across much of the world: limited infrastructure, scarce resources, and a system stretched thin. What set him apart was not circumstance, but response.
Instead of asking what the system lacked, he asked what it still made possible.
Technology With a Human Center
As artificial intelligence began to reshape global conversations, Sarma saw its relevance to education through a distinctly human lens. For him, AI was not about automation for its own sake. It was about restoring time, focus, and creativity to teachers.
His AI-powered Lesson Plan Creator, now used by educators worldwide, generates thousands of lesson plans every day. Another flagship platform, AI Teacher, extends learning beyond classrooms, enabling students to learn anytime and anywhere, reaching more than 55 lakh learners globally.
Leadership in Moments That Matter
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarma coordinated district-wide online classes in Barpeta & Bajali district of Assam and led Utkarsh, a digital empowerment initiative that helped teachers transition confidently to online platforms.
His school-based initiatives such as Hanging Libraries, Hanging Gardens, BaLA Painting, Teachers’ Parliament, and the Adarsh Avivawak Program reshaped school culture and community engagement.
The Educator as a Thinker
Sarma has authored books on foundational literacy and numeracy, artificial intelligence and robotics, child psychology, and pedagogy, used by educators across the globe. Recognition followed through the Global Teacher Award 2025, Sewa Ratna Award 2024, Best Teacher Awards, and multiple honours from district administrations. He was also nominated for the National Teachers’ Award by the Government of India.
An Idea Worth Spreading
What makes Sarma’s journey truly TEDx-worthy is the clarity of its core idea: meaningful change does not wait for ideal conditions. It begins with belief, purpose, and the courage to act.
From a classroom in Assam to a global conversation on the future of learning, his story reminds us that one idea, thoughtfully pursued, can change far more than one classroom.
