[ad_1]
LONDON (Reuters) – This year’s Global Teacher Award went to Ranjitsinh Disale for her work helping girls, most of them from poor tribal communities, at a village school in western India.
Disale immediately announced that he would share the million dollar prize money with the other nine finalists.
He was honored for “transforming life chances” for girls at Zilla Parishad Primary School in Paritewadi, Maharashtra state, organizers of the award said.
The announcement was made by actor and writer Stephen Fry in a virtual ceremony broadcast from the Natural History Museum in London. A jubilant Disale heard the news at his home in India, surrounded by his family.
He began teaching at the school in 2009, when he was in a dilapidated building next to a stable, according to organizers. School attendance was low and teenage marriage was common.
The curriculum was not even in the girls’ primary language, Kannada. Disale moved to town, learned the language, and translated class textbooks.
He also introduced digital learning tools and created personalized programs for each student. Their QR code textbook system is now used throughout India.
School attendance is now 100 percent and a girl from the village has graduated from university, organizers said.
Disale also started environmental projects in the drought-prone district, while his “Cross the Borders” project connects youth from India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Iran, and the United States and North Korea to promote world peace. .
In his winner speech, Disale said he would share half of the prize money with his nine fellow finalists, which means they would receive around $ 55,000 each. The award was established by the Varkey Foundation and is awarded in association with Unesco.
(Written by Angus MacSwan; Edited by Mike Collett-White)
[ad_2]
