(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Sister Zeph, the most recent winner of the Global Teacher Prize, highlights the integral role that UAE teachers play empowering students, as applications are now open for the $1 million Global Teacher Prize.
“Inspiring” UAE teachers are urged to apply for the ninth Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, organized in collaboration with UNESCO and in partnership with GEMS Education. The $1 million award is the biggest prize of its kind.
Sister Zeph, the winner of the last edition of the Global Teacher Prize, encouraged“inspiring” UAE teachers to apply for the prize. She founded her own school for underprivileged children in the courtyard of her home at just 13. Sister Zeph received her trophy during a ceremony at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
Sister Zeph, the most recent winner of the Global Teacher Prize, said:
“Throughout the UAE, inspiring teachers have dedicated their lives to empowering their students and helping them reach their full potential. This is a monumental task, and it is why teachers will always matter.
“I encourage them to apply for the Global Teacher Prize, and urge parents and pupils to nominate the incredible educators who have made such a difference to the lives of so many. Their stories deserve to be told, and the world should know about all their achievements.”
Lisa Crausby, Chief Education Officer at GEMS Education, said:
“At GEMS Education, we see first-hand the transformative impact that teachers have on the lives of young people worldwide. Every day, they inspire, uplift, and nurture the minds of future generations. We are deeply honored to partner with the Global Teacher Prize, a remarkable initiative that recognizes the dedication, passion, and resilience of teachers everywhere who are working tirelessly to build a brighter, more hopeful world.”
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize and Chairman of the Varkey Foundation:
“The Global Teacher Prize was created to spotlight the critical role of education in addressing the major challenges of our time – from combating climate change to reducing inequality and navigating technological change. I encourage all inspiring teachers in the UAE to step forward and apply for this year's prize, joining a global community of educators leading the way to build a better future.”
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said:
“UNESCO is proud to support the Global Teacher Prize, which honors the dedication and impact of teachers worldwide. In a time of global teacher shortages, challenging conditions and technological advances, recognizing and investing in teachers is essential to building a just, inclusive, and sustainable future. Teachers matter as they shape not only the next generation but the future of our societies.”
The UAE has an incredible track record when it comes to the Global Teacher Prize. In 2021, Riadh Zammali, a PE teacher at the Ghayathi Centre for Special Needs in Abu Dhabi, was among the top 50 finalists. In 2020, Mohamed Mohtady, a sixth to twelfth-grade teacher at Anas Bin Al Nadr School in Fujairah, was named in the top 50. Rashed Hashem, a Physical Education and Health teacher at Al Moatasem Public School for boys in Baniyas, Abu Dhabi, made the top 50 in 2019. Two UAE teachers reached the top 50 in 2017: Shaikha Al Shehhi, an English teacher from Al Dhait Girls Secondary School, Ras Al Khaimah, and Rohan Roberts, a teacher of the GEMS Honours Programme and Astronomy at the GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis in Dubai.
GEMS Education is the largest K-12 operator of private education in the world, which owns, operates and manages schools globally reaching an international student audience of over 130,000. It offers four world-class curricula and has 400,000 alumni. It believes in delivering a consistent, dynamic, high-quality education for every child – something in which teachers play a vital role.
The prize is open to working teachers who teach children who are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and eighteen. Teachers who teach children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognised curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers who teach on a part-time basis, and teachers of online courses. Teachers must spend at least 10 hours per week teaching and plan to remain in the profession for the next five years. It is open to teachers in every kind of school and, subject to local laws, in every country in the world.
Teachers applying for the Global Teacher Prize will be assessed on teaching practices, how they innovate to address local challenges, achieve demonstrable learning outcomes, impact the community beyond the classroom, help children become global citizens, improve the teaching profession and gain recognition from external bodies.
Interested teachers can apply for the Global Teacher Prize at and the closing date for applications is 9 December 2024.
The prize will be narrowed down to a Top 50 shortlist and Top 10 finalists, to be announced next year, helping to raise the bar of respect for the teaching profession. The winner will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy made up of prominent individuals and will be announced in 2025.
If teachers are being nominated, the person nominating them will write a brief description online explaining why. The teacher being nominated will then be sent an email letting them know they have been nominated and inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants can apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. To join the conversation online, please follow @TeacherPrize.
The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. They support global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. They also founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world
GEMS Education is one of the oldest and largest K-12 private education providers in the world and a trusted and highly regarded choice for quality education in the Middle East and North Africa region. As a company founded in the UAE in 1959, it holds an unparalleled track record of providing diverse curricula and educational choices to all socio-economic means.
Having started with a single school run from a private home in Dubai, GEMS remains a family business to this day. Its inspiring Founder, Sunny Varkey, and his son, Dino Varkey, who is Group Chief Executive Officer, are responsible for providing vision, insight, and strategy across the organisation.
Every day, GEMS has the privilege of educating students from over 176 countries through its owned and managed schools globally. And through its growing network, as well as charitable contributions, it is fulfilling the GEMS vision of putting a quality education within the reach of every learner.
Every year, students graduating from GEMS schools progress to the world's best universities. Over the past five years, GEMS students have been accepted into over 1,050 universities in 53 countries including all eight Ivy League universities in the US and all 24 Russell Group universities and colleges in the UK.
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
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