Last year’s winner was an inspirational former Palestinian refugee who offers specialist care to refugee children exposed to violence.
Now 10 more听amazing educators are on the shortlist for the 2017 Varkey Foundation’s听Global Teacher Prize, which comes with a $1 million award.
The finalists were announced today and congratulated in a message from Prince Harry, who said: “In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, the very best teachers go beyond the pages of textbooks to teach young people about determination, aspiration, resilience and – of course – compassion.”
The Global Teacher Prize was launched in 2014听and attracts thousands of nominations each year.听
It听was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession – as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society.
Last year’s winner was Hanan Al Hroub, who听works at Samiha Khalil Secondary School in the West Bank town of Al-Bireh.听
She encourages her students to work together and rewards positive behaviour.
The 听2017听winner will be announced on March 19.听Here is a look at the finalists for this year’s title.
Salima teaches at the Elementary College for Women in Gilgit. She has helped to make parents aware听about girls国产视频 education and its benefits. She believes classroom activities should correspond closely to real-life situations.
Salima has trained more than 7000 teachers across her province听and 8000 more throughout Pakistan. If she wins, she will donate the money to a fund to support girls国产视频 education in her country.
David is a maths and science teacher based in Madrid. He founded Unicoos to support children国产视频檚 education beyond the classroom and his听videos have been viewed by more than 30 million students.
Unicoos is free to use, so if David wins he will invest the money in expanding the online听platform, producing more videos in multiple languages.
Computer science graduate Ray found prepared听lessons dull and uninspiring when he became a teacher.听So he听developed听software for learning and shared听the work and best practice with other teachers.听Ray国产视频檚 YouTube channel has had more than 250,000 hits.
If he wins Ray will use the funds to support charitable work improving computer science education in the UK and Africa.
Science teacher Wemerson began his career in a suburb with a very high crime rate and his听school had a drop-out rate of 50%. He听led a social project called 国产视频淵oung Scientists: Designing a New Future国产视频.听
It helped the school to rescue 90% of students from drugs and crime and is now听considered the best in the city.听If he wins听Wemerson will听use the money to create a foundation supporting the training of young teachers.
Marie-Christine uses action-based teaching听to increase the self-esteem, motivation and empathy of her students. Her sports project has helped refugee children in Germany听integrate more readily into society.
If she wins听Marie-Christine will use the money听to develop online services to enable mentoring and partnering between students in developed and developing nations.
Tracy-Ann went through听school with undiagnosed dyslexia and left听to train as an automotive technician. Training other mechanics gave her a love of teaching and she听enrolled at the vocational teachers国产视频 college in Jamaica.
In her first teaching role she transformed the听performance and ambitions of boys who had been written off and started听a programme for her class to feed street people. If she wins Tracy-Ann will buy听resources for her school and the auto club she runs, as well as supporting various local families and children国产视频檚 charities.
Maggie teaches in the harsh Canadian Arctic environment听in听the second northernmost Inuit community in Quebec. Her initiatives include her students running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and partnering with the day care centre.
She has also听created a life skills programme for girls to combat the complex gender issues in the community.听If Maggie wins she will establish a non-profit to support youth engagement, culture preservation and global citizenship.
Science teacher Ken was awarded the highest teaching honour in Australia in 2015.听Many of his students have received scholarships to study science at university and he听uses multimedia projects together with integration of wider issues such as environmental science and sustainability.
As a participant in NASA国产视频檚 India Spaceward Bound Program, he has also delivered science workshops and training courses to Indian teachers.听If he wins Ken will use the funds to devise a training programme for teachers in developing countries.听
Dance teacher Michael runs a ballet school in the heart of the Kibera slum in Nairobi. Many of his听students have become accomplished dancers, winning scholarships to further their education.
With Michael国产视频檚 tutoring and mentorship, this alternative arts project has provided a safe space for orphans and vulnerable children from the slums to grow, develop their skills and access opportunities.
When Chinese parents move to cities for new employment opportunities, they often have to leave their children behind听to be eligible for education and other services. It can be a shattering experience for many children.听
Boya has set up a centre in her school where teenage girls听can seek advice from psychologists and other professionals.听If she wins she听will听use the funds to invite local and overseas students and specialists to participate in this programme.
Congratulations to the Top 10 Finalists for this year's Global Teacher Prize. Read more: https://t.co/rbx5xYQsYw #TeachersMatter pic.twitter.com/QY3gvfBPGi
— Global Teacher Prize (@TeacherPrize) February 22, 2017
