This Telangana teacher is in a class of his own

Report by Meghna Nath for The New Indian Express

While his official title is biology teacher, Pesara Prabhakar Reddy’s job description is written by the needs of his students. For the past 29 years, he has acted as a career counsellor, library founder, environmental activist, and even a myth-buster. Using his own savings to fund science labs and sports kits, this dedicated educator from Khammam proves that a teacher’s influence isn’t confined to classroom walls but extends into the very mindset and future of the community he serves.

If John Keating (played by Robin Williams) of 'Dead Poets Society', a Hollywood movie that was released in 1989, taught his students to “seize the day” through poetry, then Prabhakar Reddy teaches his students to seize their future through science, reason and profound determination.

At the Zilla Parishad High School in Tirumalayapalem, Prabhakar has created a holistic learning environment — one that goes beyond textbooks. He set up a library to help students access the latest information, built a science lab with his own funds and bought sports equipment worth Rs 15,000 to promote physical activity. He has personally spent over Rs 40,000 to equip the school with science materials and library books that were otherwise unavailable.

Over the past five years, Prabhakar has also been conducting career guidance sessions for Class 10 students of his school and nearby institutions. So far, he has counselled more than 500 students, helping them make informed choices about their education and careers — a crucial intervention in rural Telangana, where many students struggle to choose the right path after school.

His efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, Prabhakar Reddy received the National Best Teacher Award for his commitment to education and community upliftment.

Speaking to TNIE, Prabhakar says, “Government schools often lack proper libraries, so I wanted to create one where my students could develop a reading habit. I’ve also helped set up small libraries in nearby schools.”

Beyond academics, he has been nurturing environmental awareness among students by organising activities such as tree planting and ‘Green Diwali’ celebrations — encouraging the use of clay lamps instead of fireworks. Determined to fight superstition, he uses science experiments to demystify local myths.

“We show students that flowers blooming from coconuts or blood appearing from lemons are just chemical reactions, not miracles,” he says. “Once they see the experiments, they begin to question — and that’s where true learning begins.”