(MENAFN- Gulf Times)
Wendy Kopp, the co-founder and chief executive of Teach For All, has won the 2021 WISE Prize for Education. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), presented the prize at the opening plenary of the 2021 WISE global summit at the Qatar National Convention Centre on Tuesday, before an audience – both in person and virtually – of more than 10,000 participants worldwide.
“I am so deeply honoured and thrilled to receive the recognition as a tribute to all the people in the network of Teach for All,” Kopp told *Gulf Times after receiving the prize.“So many of the social entrepreneurships, like Teach for Qatar, have built this organisation in their countries, and so many thousands of teachers and alumni educators have thrown their hearts and souls into their work to help the children realise their potentials.”
She was recognised by WISE for her contribution to quality education through creating Teach For All, a diverse global network, building collective leadership in classrooms and communities to share solutions across borders and ensure all children can fulfiIl their promise.
“This recognition is such a boost for our network at such a time of huge challenges for the students and communities,” she said.“It also offers so many new possibilities to accelerate progress towards a stronger education system.”
“We are working to grow our network of extraordinary and diverse teacher leaders while supporting them to sustain and spread the new teaching practice, enabling them learn more and building a more deeply interconnected network,” Kopp said.
She said that the organisation is present in all the six continents.
“We are currently active in 61 countries, all locally led independent organisations,” Kopp noted.“In the region other than Qatar, we are present in Morrocco and Lebanon.”
The WISE Prize for Education is the first global distinction of its kind to acknowledge an individual for outstanding contribution to education.
Through Teach For All, Kopp is recognised for developing the concept that meaningful, sustainable education changes need leaders who are rooted in their communities and believe in the potential to transform them to deliver the opportunities that all children deserve.
“We see this prize as an endorsement and recognition of our theory of change,' she said.“Collective leadership is necessary to solve the most entrenched inequities in education and reshape the system so that it prepares our young people to navigate uncertainty and shape a better future.”
“Complex problems can only be solved through the collective efforts of many, working together across all levels of the system,” Kopp said upon receiving the award.
Teach For All, which was established in 2007, currently works with partner organisations at a grassroots level, inspiring their countries' outstanding graduates and professionals from all fields to channel their passion towards expanding opportunities for children, committing to two years of teaching in the schools and communities where they are needed most.
“Wendy's work exemplifies what we so passionately believe in at WISE – the conviction that everyone deserves quality education, and you can achieve it through creating a virtuous, international network by sharing best practice and involving communities,” said WISE chief executive Stavros N Yiannouka.“This prize is in recognition of a lifetime's contribution to education and a constant spirit of innovation.”
“Through Teach For All, Wendy has truly revolutionised school leadership,” he added.
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