Mr. Santanu Patra, a recipient of the National Teachers' Award, is currently officiating as an Assistant Master in Geography at Govt. Model School, Nayagram Block, Jhargram; West Bengal. Earlier, he was an Assistant Teacher at Ratanpur S. C. Pal High School. Apart from his teaching assignment, he is pursuing a PhD as a research scholar in Education at Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata. His academic background includes graduation (Geography Hons.) from the University of Burdwan; Masters (Geography) from the University of Burdwan; a Bachelor of Education from Ramakrishna Mission Shikshanamandir, Belur Math; Masters (Education) from Netaji Subhas Open University; Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from  Ramakrishna Mission Shikshanamandir, Belur Math; Post Graduate Diploma in School Leadership and Management from Indira Gandhi National Open University;  Six Month Certificate Course on Capacity Building and Professional Development on Inclusive Education from Netaji Subhas Open University. 

He completed 32 MOOCs from SWAYAM, Coursera, Commonwealth of Learning (CoL), Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), Athabasca University, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), North-West University, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR), Odisha State Open University (OSOU), Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS), Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU), etc. He also completed 15 Self-Learning Online Courses offered by the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL). He has participated in 45 seminars/webinars/conferences, 24 training programs, and 9 workshops. He has qualified for the UGC NET in Geography with JRF and in Education. 

He is a Google Certified Educator (Level 1 and Level 2), Certified Quizizz Super Trainer (Level 1 and Level 2) and Gemini Certified Educator. He has participated in the focus group titled 'Emerging Role of Community in Education' to finalize the position paper for the focus group in drafting the State Curriculum Framework (SCF) in West Bengal organized by the State Council of Educational Research & Training, Govt. of West Bengal (SCERT, WB). He has completed the "Orientation Course in Line with NEP-2020" offered by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) Regional Centre, Udaipur; the course on "Role of Schools in Conservation of Natural and Cultural Heritage" offered by CCRT Regional Centre, Guwahati; and the course on "Role of Museums in School Education" offered by CCRT, New Delhi. He was invited as a resource person in several trainings and workshops.

Under his supervision as a guide teacher, Govt. Model School, Naygram Block, was awarded as the winning school in the Wipro earthian 2021 Schools Competition on the theme 'Water and Sustainability'. The child scientists of his school secured 1st position in the 31st National Children's Science Congress, 2023, at the district level and presented at the state level. He was recognized for securing a position within the Top 50 rank in the International Digital Teachers' Olympiad 2024 (2nd Phase) organised by upEducators. He was recognized for securing a 273 All India Rank and 13 State Rank in the National Teachers' Olympiad 2024, organized by Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research (STTAR). Govt. Model School, Nayagram Block, awarded as GenCAN National Level Winners: 2024-25 under the mentorship of Santanu Patra. He was awarded as GenCAN 2024-25: Best Performing Mentor Teacher. 

He has presented 16 research papers at national and international conferences and seminars, and published 20 research articles in national and international journals and book chapters in edited volumes. He has published a book titled 'Blended Learning: Toolkit for Assessing Mindscape of the Teachers' (ISBN: 978-93-82112-94-5), 'Pedagogy Across Curriculum' (ISBN: 978-93-48747-50-1), and 'Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Assessment' (ISBN: 978-93-94239-98-2). His expertise extends to serving as a reviewer for 3 international journals.

He was part of the Indian delegation and visited Japan to participate in the International Exchange Programme for Primary and Secondary School Teachers organised by the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO.

Besides teaching assignments, he has played the role of the Secretary of the Academic Council, Teacher-in-Charge of JHUMUR Cultural Club, Teacher-in-Charge of Eco Club, Institute Nodal Officer of the Akyashree Scheme, Institute Nodal Officer of the National Scholarship Portal, etc.

With a profound dedication to scholarly contribution, Mr. Patra has taken various initiatives to integrate technology, including gamification in a blended mode and art, into his teaching to facilitate an effective, engaging, and interactive teaching-learning environment for his students.