Dubai: The Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023 winner is Pakistani educator Sister Zeph, who at the age of 13 established her own school for impoverished kids in her backyard.
Pakistani teacher wins Global Prize: The worldwide philanthropic charity Dubai Cares, situated in the United Arab Emirates, and UNESCO worked together to plan the event.
The $1 million reward, which is in its eighth year, is the biggest of its kind.
7,000 candidates
Sister Zeph is a climate change, interfaith harmony, English, Urdu, and cultural teacher at Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan. She was chosen for the Global Teacher Prize from among over 7,000 nominations and applications submitted by people from 130 different countries.
Sister Zeph was named the recipient of the Global Teacher Prize 2023 at a ceremony presented from UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. This announcement was a major component of UNESCO’s 42nd session General Conference. Stephen Fry is an actor, comedian, and writer.
During his speech during the ceremony, multi-Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers discussed the influence that teachers had on his life and career, in addition to the efforts of the We Are Family Foundation.
“Learning is the greatest experience in life,” he declared. Teachers and learning are eternal pursuits.
Author and US National Youth Poet Laureate Alexandra Huỷnh composed a particular poem about the importance of an empowered education that she recited aloud. At the event, vocalist Rachel Modest from The Voice gave an homage to teachers everywhere.
Challenges
The event also unveiled the highlights of the UNESCO and Teacher Taskforce worldwide Report on Teachers, which provides concrete suggestions for teacher recruitment and retention, along with extensive statistics and perspectives on worldwide teacher difficulties.
The report emphasizes that, to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030, the world will need to hire an astounding 44 million more teachers.
The establishment of the Global Teacher Prize aimed to honor a single outstanding educator who has made a noteworthy contribution to the field and to raise awareness of the crucial role educators play in society.
Through the discovery of hundreds of tales of heroes who have changed the lives of young people, the prize seeks to highlight the extraordinary work done by millions of educators worldwide.
Sister Zeph: Her courtyard is the school.
When Sister Zeph was barely 13 years old, she established her own school for kids whose parents couldn’t afford tuition in her backyard.
In order to pay for the school, she put in eight-hour work days, taught for an additional four hours, and then spent the night teaching herself. More than 200 disadvantaged students receive free education from the school, which is now located in a brand-new structure, 26 years after it first opened.
She endured hardship from an early age and became a ray of hope for impoverished kids in her neighbourhood. Many of her lowly students have gone on to work for her foundation for empowerment and education, while others have achieved great success in their professional lives.
In addition to managing the school, she teaches girls self-defense after being threatened and attacked.
In addition, she manages a vocational centre that has assisted over 6,000 women in acquiring skills in ICT, textiles, and English language. She also offers financial support to families that must choose between paying their bills and providing for their children’s education.
Her commitment to education and empowerment has changed many lives and brought her multiple honours, establishing her as a genuine change-maker and global champion for women’s rights and children’s education.
Sister Zeph intends to construct a school on ten acres where children from the poorest families in the nation can receive an equal education using the money from the Global Teacher Prize. Additionally, she aims to build an orphanage where the grounds would produce food, and educators from around the globe would come to teach the kids a variety of disciplines.
