Keishia Thorpe, the most recent winner of the Global Teacher Prize, highlights the integral role that UAE teachers play in nurturing the next generation of visionaries, as applications are now open for the $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2023.

“Inspiring” UAE teachers are urged to apply for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023, organised in collaboration with UNESCO and in strategic partnership with Dubai Cares. Now in its eighth year, the $1 million award is the biggest prize of its kind.

The winner of the last edition of the Global Teacher Prize was US teacher Keishia Thorpe, who opened up college education for low-income, first-generation American, immigrant and refugee students.

Keishia Thorpe, the most recent winner of the Global Teacher Prize, said:

“Every day, inspiring teachers across UAE champion their students and help them become the best that they can be. That is no small feat, and it is why teachers will always matter.

“I encourage them to apply for the Global Teacher Prize 2023, and call on parents and pupils to nominate the great educators in their lives. They deserve to have their stories heard, and for the world to know about all that they have accomplished.”

His Excellency, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, said:

"Teachers are the driving force behind progress, as they are the ones who inspire and shape the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. Beyond imparting knowledge, teachers are also coaches, mentors, and facilitators who empower their students to achieve their full potential. Through their guidance and support, teachers also instil in students the values, skills, knowledge and experiences that are instrumental in building a prosperous and sustainable future for all. We value our long-standing partnership with the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which celebrates the tireless efforts and incredible accomplishments of teachers around the world and their role in driving human development."

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize and Chairman of the Varkey Foundation, said:

“The Global Teacher Prize was launched to highlight the importance of education in tackling the great challenges ahead – from climate change to growing inequality to global pandemics. I urge inspiring teachers all around the world to apply for this year’s edition.

“Policymakers must never forget that it is only by prioritizing education that we can safeguard all our tomorrows.”

UAE teachers have a history of excelling in 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.

Dubai Cares’ long-standing support for the Global Teacher Prize stems from its belief that an investment in teachers is an investment in human development. Through its Framework for Global Education Transformation, the UAE-based global philanthropic organisation is committed to elevating the role of educators as coaches, mentors and facilitators as well as positioning them as “Human Experience Teachers” who can nurture students and empower them with the values, skills, knowledge and experiences they need to face the complexities and challenges of the future.  

The prize is open to working teachers who teach children that 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 5 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 www.globalteacherprize.org and the closing date for applications is 28 May 2023.

The prize will be narrowed down to a Top 50 shortlist and Top 10 finalists, to be announced later in the 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 later this year.

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.

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