Malima Chisumo teaching at Nsumba Secondary School in Mwanza has been included in the top 50 shortlist for a new one million dollar Global Teacher Prize, it was announced today.
- Malima Chisumo 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
Malima 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.
Malima a dedicated Science and Mathematics teacher and is also a leader of the Mathematical Association of Tanzania. When he was a child, many students opted not to study mathematics or science because of the poor quality of the teaching available – a situation that Malima has made it his mission to turn around. Helping his fellow students convinced him that he too could be a great teacher. He has introduced a special Best Student award fund and a regional mathematics contest. He also holds clubs to encourage girls to study mathematics and sciences, and has set up a company to offer educational consultation to parents.
Malima said, "I am a mathematics teacher, and the thing I love most about mathematics subject is the problem solving skills it provides to both teachers and learners. It is the procedural subject which does not give more weight on the final answer but the process involved in arriving at the final answer, because in the process learner's logical thinking and reasoning abilities can be promoted. I love the skills which develop individuals' logical thinking and higher order cognitive abilities that can be applied effectively and responsibly in solving problems and making proper decisions."
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.
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.
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"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.
