SAUDI ARABIAN TEACHER MANSOUR BIN ABDULLAH AL-MANSOUR WINS $1 MILLION GEMS EDUCATION GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE

(MENAFN- Four) DUBAI, 13 February 2025 - Saudi Arabian teacher Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour, who has volunteered over 3,000 hours helping his community, including transforming the lives of hundreds of gifted orphans, has been named the winner of the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, a Varkey Foundation initiative organised in collaboration with UNESCO. Now in its ninth year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind.

Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour, a teacher at Prince Saud bin Jalawi School in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 89 countries around the world. Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour was announced as the winner during a ceremony at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

The Global Teacher Prize 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. Since its launch, the Global Teacher Prize has received over 100,000 applications and nominations from around the globe.

On winning the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour said:

“Thank you to GEMS Education, the Varkey Foundation, and UNESCO for this incredible honour. It is humbling to be recognised among such remarkable educators from all around the world. Through this powerful new platform, I hope to uplift the lives of many more children in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Every child deserves the chance to shine, regardless of their circumstances, and I will continue to work towards breaking barriers so that no young person is left behind.”
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize and GEMS Education, and Chairman of the Varkey Foundation, said:
“Congratulations to Mansour on winning the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2025. Your inspiring journey is a true reflection of your passion, dedication, and the life-changing power of education.”

Since 2001, Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour has been teaching in low-income neighbourhoods, supporting students facing academic challenges, including those with disabilities, learning difficulties, and children from illiterate families. Initially teaching in a small, rented school building, from what was essentially the school kitchen, Mansour transformed the school into being recognised as one of the top 10 learning environments in Saudi Arabia for gifted education.

To achieve this, he provided his students with training at the top talent and creativity centres in the Kingdom, connected them with renowned professors at King Faisal University through a mentorship programme, established an innovation incubator to nurture their ideas, and worked to enhance their economic conditions. As a result, his students have earned prestigious accolades on global stages.
Mansour also helped his students take part in the ‘Riyali Financial Awareness Initiative’, aimed at empowering low-income students by equipping them with entrepreneurship skills and financial literacy training to become financially independent.
In collaboration with charitable organisations, Mansour provided interest-free loans of 500 SAR per student to establish small businesses (kiosks), with students earning between 1,300-1,500 SAR within two months. One student now owns a small business, generating a stable income of 1,500-2,500 SAR monthly.
Mansour has also donated over 3,000 hours of voluntary service. This includes giving his time to teach close to 250 gifted orphans, equipping them with key life skills. These orphans are scattered across different schools, and Mansour plans to spend the $1 million Global Teacher Prize money on building one school for talented orphans.
Outside of official hours, Mansour leads a programme for prison inmates, helping them to read and write, giving them a second chance at life. As a result of Mansour’s tutoring, several prisoners have seen their sentences reduced. Mansour has also co-founded several charitable, educational, and humanitarian associations, including the Qabas Educational Association providing literacy programmes to 3,250 learners.
Beyond his work with students, Mansour supports other teachers. He has authored more than 21 books on education, including subjects like innovative teaching and professional ethics, and provided over 300 training hours to educators across the Gulf region.
Mansour’s contributions have been so impactful that he was appointed as an international ambassador for Hamdan Bin Rashid Foundation in Dubai, where he travels across the Gulf countries sharing his expertise and training teachers.
The top 10 finalists for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize were Brett Dascombe from Australia; Céline Haller from France; Erick Hueck from the US; Karina Sarro from Argentina; Mohammad Imran Khan Mewati from India; Muhammad Nazmi from Malaysia; Ramón Majé Floriano from Colombia; Subash Chandar K from New Zealand; and Tionge Mtambo from Malawi.
Lisa Crausby, Chief Education Officer at GEMS Education, said:
“At GEMS Education, we see every day the immense impact that teachers have on their students and communities – and the power of education to truly transform lives for the better. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Mansour on winning the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize. This is a well-deserved recognition of your remarkable efforts to uplift and inspire not just young minds, but educators worldwide.”
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said:  
  
“UNESCO is proud to support the Global Teacher Prize, which honours the dedication and impact of teachers worldwide. In a time of global teacher shortages, challenging conditions and technological advances, recognising 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.”
This week, Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize, also launched Spark, a global platform for young people to come together to reimagine education. It is designed to help the next generation face some of the greatest challenges in history, including rising inequality, sweeping technological changes, and climate change.
Announcing the launch of Spark, Sunny Varkey said:
“Spark will bring to life young people’s struggles and their triumphs. Too often, we reduce education to numbers: graduation rates, literacy levels, and test scores. But behind every number, there’s a young person fighting for their future. If we get this right, this platform will be greater than any influencer, greater than any single individual, and more powerful than anything money could ever buy.”
The World Governments Summit was established in 2013 under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai. Since then, the organisation and its leadership has continued to champion the mission of shaping future governments and creating a better future for humanity.
The 2025 World Governments Summit convened under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’. It brought together governments, international organisations, thought leaders, and private sector leaders from around the globe to foster international cooperation and identify innovative solutions for future challenges.
GEMS Education is one of the largest K-12 and longest established operators of private education in the world, which owns, operates, and manages schools globally, reaching an international student audience of over 200,000 every day. It offers four world-class curricula – British, Indian, IB, and American – and has a 66-year legacy with roots dating back to 1959. The family-owned company believes in offering a consistent, dynamic, high-quality education for every child with teachers at the core of everything it delivers. It was founded by two teachers, the parents of Sunny Varkey.

The prize is open to working teachers who teach children who are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and 18. Teachers who educate children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognised curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers working 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 are 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.

Helping to raise the bar of respect for the teaching profession, the winner was chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy, made up of prominent individuals.

When teachers are nominated, the person nominating them writes a brief description online explaining why. The teacher being nominated is then sent an email letting them know they have been nominated and inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants could apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. To join the conversation online, please follow @TeacherPrize.

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