From botany to the classroom
Heipor Uni Bang began teaching in 2009, after completing an MSc in Botany at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). Before starting a school of his own, he taught at Little Flower Secondary School in Khliehriat and at Rymbai Presbyterian Higher Secondary School.
He did not step straight into running a school. He spent his first years as a classroom teacher.
2013: a school of his own
In 2013 he founded K.B. Memorial Secondary School in Wapung, East Jaintia Hills. Regional reports give a clear reason: families in that part of the district wanted good English-medium education that they could afford.
Public records do not give the school’s fees or the number of children from poorer families, so we do not put a number on it.
A different kind of classroom
His National Teachers’ Award citation describes a classroom that goes well beyond the textbook and blackboard. He uses flow charts, diagrams, maps, geometry instruments, experiment projects, computers and digital TVs. The aim is to turn students from passive listeners into independent learners, and to build interaction and practical life skills.
Regional reports also mention his flipped-classroom approach, where students explore the basic material first and class time goes to discussion and problem-solving.
Every child included
His work with Children with Special Needs (CwSN) is central to his recognition. The official citation calls it ‘especially commendable’ and praises his inclusive and innovative teaching.
After the award, he spoke publicly about the need for more resources and support for children with special needs, and for bringing quality education to rural and economically weaker communities. Public records do not say how many such children he has taught, so we leave that number out.
Books in Khasi and beyond
The citation lists him as the author of three books, along with other publications. Government and local sources add that he wrote Khasi-language learning material and kept the school’s general-knowledge resources updated with facts about the district and the state.
He runs an English-medium school, but he did not push the Khasi language and local knowledge out of the classroom. He made them part of a modern education.
A teacher who researches his own district
He earned a PhD in Environmental Management from William Carey University, Nongmensong, with a thesis titled ‘Challenges and Opportunities of Solid Waste Management of East Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya’.
His 2020 paper, ‘Physical composition and characteristic of solid waste in East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, India’, analysed what was ending up at the district’s dumping sites, from food waste and leaves to paper, plastics, textiles and metals, to help plan better waste management. He chose a real problem from his own district.
Beyond the school walls
Local reports say he served on the Juvenile Justice Board in Khliehriat, worked with the Red Cross Society in 2015–16, and taught at Thomas Jones Synod College, Jowai, from 2014 to 2017. A 2018 Meghalaya Gazette names him Vice-Chairman of the East Jaintia Hills District Selection Committee.
The school has done well outside the classroom too. Its Under-14 boys’ football team finished runner-up in the State Subroto Mukherjee Cup in 2023 and 2025. That success belongs to the players, coaches and teachers as much as to the principal.
District, state, nation
His recognition came in steps. In 2021 the Highland Post named him East Jaintia Hills’ district award-winning teacher. In 2024 the Government of Meghalaya gave him its State Award. On 5 September 2025, President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Teachers’ Award to him and 44 other educators at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
He spoke of the award as a shared one, the work of his family, colleagues and the district and state education departments. He also used the moment to ask for support for private schools’ infrastructure and teacher salaries, fuller implementation of the National Education Policy, the inclusion of Khasi in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and better resources for children with special needs.
“This award is a recognition of the collective effort…”
Heipor Uni Bang
Why his story matters
A remote district is no reason for low expectations. Inclusion is not just a separate class; it is designing teaching so every child can take part. Modern schooling and local identity can grow together. A teacher can also be a researcher, working on the real problems of his own community.
And building an institution can multiply what one good teacher does, from a single classroom to a whole school. His story is not an overnight success. It took sixteen years to go from his first class to the national award.
Sources
- National Teachers' Awards: official citation
- Ministry of Education / PIB, 2025
- Meghalaya Gazette, 2018
- Meghalaya Government IPR release, 2026
- Highland Post
- Meghalaya Monitor
- India Today NE
- NewsOnAir
- Journal article: solid waste in East Jaintia Hills (2020)
- nationalawardstoteachers.education.gov.in/TeacherCitation.aspx