UAE teacher shortlisted for $1m global prize

Aphysical education and health teacher in Abu Dhabi is among the top 50 contenders for the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019.

Rashid Hashem teaches at Al Moatasem Public School for Boys in Baniyas.

The teachers shortlisted for the global teacher prize were selected from over 10,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries.

In a press release yesterday, the Foundation said that “Hashem works in a remote school around 40km away from the capital and close to a nomadic tribal environment”. It added that Hashem’s methods have improved student learning in areas of renewable energy, indoor gardens and health nutrition, and these innovations contributed to an improvement in his school’s assessment from 15 per cent to 67 per cent in 2018.

Hashem won the Mohammad Bin Zayed Award for Best Gulf Teacher in 2018, and also received the UAE Medal in 2015.

The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai next March 24.