Two South African educators among Top 50 finalists for the 2023 Global Teacher Prize
The world's current social, political, economic, and health problems are largely a result of inadequate education. We think education can decrease inequality, bigotry, and even wars.
Teachers are crucial to the future of humanity since they devote their lives to educating children. Recruitment, retention, work happiness, and performance are all significantly impacted by a person's standing as a teacher.
The Global Teacher Prize highlights the value of educators and the fact that their efforts should be acknowledged and honoured. It aims to recognise the positive effects that the greatest teachers have on their students and the communities in which they live.
Mokolwane Masweneng, an English teacher at Dithothwaneng Senior Secondary School in Mphanama, Limpopo, and Mariette Wheeler, a science teacher at Protea Heights Academy in Cape Town, have been named in the Top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023.
The award is a partnership with Unesco and Dubai Cares, a global philanthropic organisation with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates.
They were chosen from among more than 7 000 nominations and applications from more than 130 nations. The Global Teacher Prize, which has been awarded for the past eight years, is the biggest award of its kind.
It was established to honour one great educator who has made a significant contribution to the field and to highlight the crucial function that educators play in society.
The prize seeks to highlight the remarkable work of billions of teachers worldwide by finding thousands of tales of heroes who have changed the lives of young people.
Masweneng has devoted his life to advancing education, especially for girls, in his community. Despite having financial difficulties, he launched a free coaching programme that has since helped other pupils obtain professional qualifications.
In order to address issues such as girls dropping out of school because of pregnancy and poor attendance caused by a scarcity of sanitary products, Mokolwane fights traditional conventions that obstruct female education.
He promotes gender equality by encouraging girls to take part in activities that are typically reserved for boys. He provides his pupils with a variety of learning opportunities through technology and connections to other countries, and he has become a proponent of using technology in the classroom.
He has also started greening initiatives to fight hunger and poverty in rural areas.
Wheeler's job has allowed her to merge her two main interests – biological research and teaching. First trained as a biological scientist, Wheeler focuses on the simplest explanation of the content possible when teaching.
Students discuss their work in small groups, engage in class discussions, compete in charades-style performances, and use apps to master challenging scientific vocabulary.
Outside of the classroom, Wheeler produces monthly marine life radio recordings for a nearby radio station which are heard by about 400 000 people. She received the title of National Best Teacher in 2021 and represented South Africa at the virtual Unesco World Teachers Day ceremony.
She said if she won the Global Teacher Prize, she planned to use the money to establish a medical facility that specialised in treating teenagers, step up her church's efforts to develop a sustainable community, establish a mobile science equipment unit that can travel between schools, and establish a site for the study of marine sciences.
Teachers inspire and mould tomorrow's leaders and innovators, and they are the force behind progress.
Dubai Cares said that, in addition to imparting knowledge, their roles need to be reimagined as coaches, mentors, and facilitators who can enable their pupils to reach their full potential by giving them the values, abilities, knowledge, and experiences they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world and contribute to solutions to the challenges facing humanity.
“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,” said Dr Tariq Al Gurg, chief executive and vice-chairperson of Dubai Cares.
Al Gurg said his organisation’s continued support for the Global Teacher Prize was a result of its conviction that investing in educators was an investment in the advancement of society.
Stefania Giannini, Unesco’s assistant director-general of education, said: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Mokolwane Masweneng and Mariette Wheeler.
“Unesco is a proud partner of the Global Teacher Prize because teachers deserve our great recognition. They inspire and prepare children and youth to navigate a rapidly evolving world. Their efforts play a leading role in transforming education for the future.”
The Global Teacher Prize application and nomination period ran from May 6 to June 25.
“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 sweeping changes in technology,” said Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation.
Teachers involved in compulsory education for children aged 5–18 are eligible for the award. Part-time teachers and instructors of online courses are also eligible, as are teachers who work with children aged 4 or older and use a government-recognised early years curriculum.
“Teachers must commit to working in the field for at least five more years and teach for at least 10 hours each week. Teachers from all types of schools and, subject to national legislation, in every country, may apply or be nominated.
The assessment criteria for candidates include teaching methods, innovative approaches to solving local problems, demonstrable learning outcomes, community impact outside of the classroom, fostering global citizenship in pupils, strengthening the teaching profession, and receiving external recognition.
“The deadline for applications for next year’s prize is June 25, 2024. Applications can be submitted at www.globalteacherprize.org.
When teachers are nominated, the person doing the nominating posts a brief justification online. An email is sent to the nominated teacher requesting them to submit an application for the award and notifying them of their nomination.