Kenya: Teacher From Kenya Named In The Top 50 Shortlist For World's First $1M Global Teacher Prize

Jacque Kahura
10 February 2015
Global Teacher Prize (London)

Jacque Kahura teaching at Bofa Primary school in Kilifi, Kenya has been included in the top 50 shortlist for the first-ever one million dollar Global Teacher Prize, it was announced today.

  • Jacque Kahura amongst the top 50 shortlisted "classroom teachers" from 5,000 nominations from 127 countries
  • The Global Teacher Prize is committed to improving the status of teachers, recognise and celebrate the important role that teachers play in society

Jacque Kahura will compete for the $1 million Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize, given to one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. Widely referred to as the Nobel prize for teaching, it is the largest prize of its kind and is open to teachers in every school in every country of the world. Applicants are judged on how they open up their pupil's minds, how much they contribute to the community, and how much they encourage others to become teachers.

The top 50 have been shortlisted from over 5,000 nominations and 1,300 final applications from 127 countries from around the world including the US, UK, Italy, Kenya, Uganda, India, Afghanistan, Australia, Argentina Mexico and Jordan, amongst others. The top 50 shortlist has representatives from 26 countries and by highlighting their stories the Varkey GEMS Foundation hopes that the public will be able to join in passionate debates about which are the most important qualities in a good teacher. The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on Monday 16 March 2015.

Jacque Kahura teaching at Bofa Primary school in Kilifi, Kenya, is one of the six teachers shortlisted from Africa. She is also one of 10 teachers from East Africa to study for a Master's in Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London. She also founded the LIBA (Lifting the Barriers) organization, working towards creating the right environments for children to learn in, thereby removing the obstacles to aspiration and opportunity, particularly amongst disadvantaged children.

Jacque said, "Teaching is a humbling and fulfilling profession and nothing is more satisfying than seeing different aspects of growth in children, as a results of my teaching."

She has raised $80,000 to improve teaching and learning in two schools so far. Her work was recognized was invited to sit on the Kilifi County Education. In Kenya, she resolved to move away from the '40-minute lecture' model and instead incorporated a wide variety of stories and interludes to keep things fresh in the classroom. LIBA has also worked with Kenyan and international volunteers to enable Kenyan children to learn more about other cultures and understand the world they are part of. She has also pioneered partnerships with local universities to give teacher trainees much-needed experience.

The Global Teacher Prize follows a long-standing commitment to improve the status of teachers by the Varkey GEMS Foundation (VGF). Last November, the VGF published the Global Teacher Status Index, the first attempt to compare attitudes towards teachers in 21 countries. The index found that there were significant differences between the status of teachers worldwide.The survey also found that in many countries, between a third and half of parents would probably or definitely not encourage their children from entering the teaching profession.
As a direct response to this, the Global Teacher Prize was set up to shine a spotlight on the profession to recognise and celebrate the important role teachers play in society. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people's lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work that millions of teachers do all over the world.Ultimately, by hoping to raise teacher respect across the world, it aims to play a part in helping to recruit and retain the best candidates into the profession.

Talking about what inspires her, Jacque said, "The limitations that a lot of children from poor backgrounds grow up in, which stops them from going to school or get quality education, energizes me to live my life for them so that they can have a future full of hope and opportunities."

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey GEMS Foundation, said:

"The thousands of applications we received from all around the world is testimony to the achievements of teachers and the enormous impact they have on all of our lives. We introduced the prize this year in order toreturn teachers to their rightful position as the one of the most respected professions in society.

"The prize is not only about money; it's also about unearthing thousands of stories of inspiration as the many applications prove."
"Of course, more will be needed than the Global Teacher Prize to raise the status of profession worldwide. But my hope is that it's the start of a million conversations about the role of teachers - from families around the dinner table and teenagers on social media to education ministries around the world."
President Bill Clinton, Honorary Chairman of the Varkey GEMS Foundation, said:

"Attracting the best people to teaching, developing and supporting their skills, and holding our teachers in high regard — all are critically important to achieve excellence, both in teaching and learning."

Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey, who sits on the Global Teacher Prize Academy that chooses the final winner, said:

"When I was starting out, I was inspired by an older, more experienced actor, who told me that he thought I ought to go into acting professionally. That's the kind of mentoring and personal support that every young person needs to realise their potential.

"It's the kind of encouragement and guidance that good teachers give to their pupils every day. And that is why I support the Varkey GEMS Foundation's Global Teacher Prize. However much we achieve in life, we all began learning the basics from a teacher in a classroom. Those that teach - devoting their talents and time to nurturing the talents of others - deserve to be respected and celebrated"

The top 50shortlisted teachers have now been judged by a Prize Committee with the final ten candidates to be announced in February 2015. The winner will then be chosen from these ten finalists by a Global Teacher Prize Academy. All ten finalists will beinvited to Dubai for the Award ceremony at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in March next year where the winner will be announced live.

For further information about top 50 shortlist please visit http://www.globalteacherprize.org.To join the conversation online follow #TeacherPrize on: https://twitter.com/TeacherPrize and https://www.facebook.com/teacherprize
Please email ishara.callan@apollostrategiccomms.com or call +447826542245 if you would like to call to interview the CEO of VGF or the shortlisted teachers.

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