Canadian wins Global Teacher Prize
VICE-PRESIDENT PRESENTED COVETED $1M AWARD TO CANADIAN AT A GLITTERING CEREMONY IN DUBAI
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with Maggie MacDonnell, winner of this year’s Global Teacher Prize. Shaikh Mohammad presented the $1 million (Dh3.67 million) prize to the teacher from a remote village in the Canadian Arctic at a ceremony at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai, yesterday. MacDonnell was selected from among 10 international finalists who flew in for the two-day Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in the city.
A Canadian teacher from a remote village in the Canadian Arctic won the Global Teacher Prize, worth $1 million (Dh3.67 million), yesterday night in Dubai.
Maggie MacDonnell was selected from among 10 international finalists who had flown in for the two-day Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF), held at Atlantis, The Palm.
The prize was presented by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Mohammad is the patron of the award.
Also present at the ceremony was Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and other top officials and dignitaries.
In his comments, Shaikh Mohammad said: “It was a pleasure to award Canadian Maggie MacDonnell the $1 million Global Teacher Prize, for her excellence serving the noblest of professions.
“Recognising teachers’ efforts aims to honour the work of these change makers. Supporting education means advancing knowledge in all fields,” he said on his Twitter account.
This is the third year of the award, an initiative of the non-profit Varkey Foundation, which also launched the annual GESF five years ago. UAE-based philanthropist and educationist Sunny Varkey is the founder of the foundation.
The winner was announced via a special video message from the International Space Station broadcast into the Global Teacher Prize ceremony.
Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Haroub was awarded the prize for her efforts in helping children traumatised by violence in her area. In a video message yesterday, she spoke about the transformation of her life following the win and called for world peace.
Meanwhile, MacDonnell was in tears following the announcement yesterday night. Taking the stage, she said: “Thank you from bottom of my heart Shaikh Mohammad and Sunny Varkey for creating this breathtaking global platform for celebrating teachers, who often are very humble in nature.”
She added: “We matter, teachers matter… The greatest gift I will take from this event is the friendships I have made with the spectacular teachers who I share the stage with, and to all those 50 finalists, I have fallen in love with you and am re-energised by your spirit.”
Marginalised students
MacDonnelI taught marginalised and troubled children in an indigenous community in the frigid Northern Territory. She said she witnessed 10 student suicides in two years. The top teacher thanked Shaikh Mohammad and Varkey and lauded the spirit of the UAE in paying attention to such a small community, so far away.
“You emulated global citizenship so much by paying attention to such a small community. Your love and generosity has transcended borders. Thank you for bringing global attention to them.”
The award ceremony began with a performance by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The 50 shortlisted teachers for the award were also present.
Shamma Suhail Bin Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth, told the audience that Shaikh Mohammad has stressed that the keys of the future are in the hands of students, who rely on teachers.
The other nine finalists are: Raymond Chambers, a computer science teacher from Brooke Weston Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, UK; Salima Begum, Headteacher at Elementary College for Women, Gilgit, Pakistan; David Calle, from Madrid, Spain, the founder and creator of the Unicoos educational website; Wemerson da Silva Nogueira, a science teacher at the Escola Antonio dos Santos Neves in Boa Esperança, Brazil; Marie-Christine Ghanbari Jahromi, a physical education, maths and German teacher at Gesamtschule Gescher school, in Gescher, Germany; TracyAnn Hall, an automotive technology teacher at Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, Jamaica; Yang Boya, a psychology teacher at The Affiliated Middle School of Kunming Teachers College, China, and Michael Wamaya, a dance teacher from Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya.