Indian educator and former actor Swaroop Sampat-Rawal has been awarded a Fellowship by the University of Worcester in the United Kingdom for her contribution to education.

The honour recognises her work in the areas of inclusive learning and life skills development for children with learning disabilities.

The University of Worcester has had a long association with Sampat-Rawal; she completed her PhD in Education there in 2006. Her doctoral thesis examined the use of drama as a tool to build life skills among children with learning disabilities.

In 2018, Sampat-Rawal also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Worcester.

Before moving fully into the field of education, Sampat-Rawal was known for her work in Indian television and cinema, including her role in the popular series Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, and for winning the Miss India title in 1979. Over the past two decades, however, her focus has shifted to research, teaching and education policy.

Reacting to the honour, Sampat-Rawal said, “It feels incredible to be recognised by the University of Worcester. My time there gave me the confidence to excel in education. Now, being part of the College of Fellows feels like the culmination of my journey.”

More recently, she received the Education World Educational Researcher TREE Award for 2025–26. In 2019, she was also named among the top 10 teachers globally by the Varkey Foundation, an international organisation that highlights excellence in teaching.

Beyond academic research, Sampat-Rawal has been involved in education policy in India. She contributed to the process of drafting the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), with an emphasis on practical learning, creativity and inclusion.