Ranjitsinh Disale said he will share 50 percent of the prize money with his fellow finalists.
London:
An elementary school teacher from India was named the winner of the annual $ 1 million 2020 Global Teacher Award on Thursday in recognition of his efforts to advance girls’ education and spark a rapid response (QR) coded textbook revolution. in India.
Ranjitsinh Disale, 32, from Paritewadi village in Solapur district of Maharashtra, was the winner among the 10 finalists from around the world. The annual award was founded by the Varkey Foundation in 2014 to recognize an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.
Disale, who believes that teachers are the world’s “true agents of change”, announced that he will share 50 percent of the award money with his fellow finalists to support his “incredible work.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed education and the communities it serves in many ways. But, at this difficult time, teachers are doing their best to ensure that all students have access to their right to birth of a good education, “Disale said.
“Teachers are the true agents of change who are changing the lives of their students with a mixture of chalk and challenges. They always believe in giving and sharing. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that I will share 50 percent of the prize money in equal shares among my fellow top 10 finalists to support their incredible work. I believe that, together, we can change this world because sharing is growing, “he said.
His gesture means that the other nine finalists will receive just over $ 55,000 each, making history as the first winner to share the prize money.
“By sharing the prize money, you teach the world the importance of giving,” said Sunny Varkey, Indian education philanthropist, founder of the prize.
“Now I encourage you to use this platform to give voice to all teachers. There is not a moment to lose, as young people will be tasked with finding solutions to problems that their parents and grandparents have not had the will to solve, including climate change, conflicts and global pandemics, “he said.
In another first, the announcement of the winner of the 2020 Global Teacher Prize was made in a virtual ceremony, broadcast from the Natural History Museum in London by British actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry.
“Teachers like Ranjitsinh will stop climate change and build more peaceful and just societies. Teachers like Ranjitsinh will eliminate inequalities and boost economic growth. Teachers like Ranjitsinh will save our future,” said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO Organization of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture), partner of the initiative.
When Mr. Disale arrived at Zilla Parishad Primary School at Paritewadi in Solapur in 2009, it was a dilapidated building, sandwiched between a cattle barn and a warehouse.
He took on the task of turning things around and making sure the textbooks were available in the local language for the students. Not only did he translate the textbooks into his native language, he also embedded them with unique QR codes to give students access to audio poems, video lectures, stories, and assignments.
As a result of their interventions, no adolescent marriages have been reported in the village and there has been 100% girls’ school attendance.
Disale’s school became the first in Maharashtra to introduce QR codes. After submitting a successful pilot plan and proposal, the state ministry announced in 2017 that it would introduce QR-coded textbooks statewide for all grades.
In 2018, the Ministry of Human Resource Development announced that all National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks would have built-in QR codes.
Disale is also passionate about peacebuilding among youth in conflict zones and, through the “Cross the Borders” project, connects youth from India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Iran, and the United States. and North Korea.
During a six-week program, students are paired with a fellow peacemaker from other countries with whom they interact closely. So far, Mr. Disale has included some 19,000 students from eight countries in this program.
In addition, with the use of the Microsoft Educator Community platform, the entrepreneurial teacher spends his weekends taking students from under-resourced schools around the world on virtual field trips.
He is also known for demonstrating science experiments in the science lab he built at home.
Disale was selected from the top 10 finalists out of more than 12,000 nominations and applications from over 140 countries, along with Olasunkanmi Opeifa from Nigeria, Jamie Frost from the UK, Carlo Mazzone from Italy, Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba from South Africa, Leah Juelke from the USA. USA, Yun Jeong-hyun from South Korea, Samuel Isaiah from Malaysia and Doani Emanuela Bertan from Brazil.
The Global Teacher Prize is paid in equal installments over 10 years, and the Varkey Foundation provides financial advice and support to winners through a role as an ambassador for the profession.
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