South African teacher Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba was listed in the top 10 of the Global Teacher Prize and while she didn’t win, she got a great surprise.
Maharashtra, India (22 December 2020) – The Varkey Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established to improve education standards for underprivileged children throughout the world.
Each year they host the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize with a $1 million cash award in partnership with UNESCO. The prize is awarded to a teacher that has gone above and beyond to ensure their students have access to the best education possible.
“The prize serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated. It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers – not only on their students but on the communities around them.”
In 2017, a Johannesburg teacher, Marjorie Brown, the head of the History Department at Roedean School was placed in the top 50. Now in 2020, Polokwane teacher Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba placed in the top 10. She is a maths teacher from Ngwanamago Primary School, Polokwane, Limpopo, South Africa.
In a video message announcing Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba as a top ten finalist, presenter Stephen Fry paid tribute to this incredible hero!
“Today I am delighted to announce that Mokhudu Machaba from South Africa is a top ten finalist for the Global Teacher Prize 2020. Mokhudu, you started out with just a single cell phone for Internet access in class. You then obtained laptops from anywhere you could by showcasing exactly what your students could achieve. You’ve won prizes for integrating ICT in the classroom, introduced your students to Coding Week by using Minecraft, and your students have also started learning with students throughout the world through the Microsoft Educator Platform. Congratulations Mokhudu and thank you for everything you do” – Stephen Fry
While Mokudu Cynthia Machaba didn’t win the incredible $1 million, she will be receiving a life-changing amount of money!
Prize winner Ranjitsinh Disale was hailed a hero after he announced that he would be giving 50% of his prize money to his fellow top 10 teachers. This is the first time in the Global Teacher Prize’s six-year history that the overall winner has shared the prize money with other finalists.
After the year, most teachers have had, this gesture brought a tear to everyone watching the virtual award ceremony. You can watch the moment Ranjitsinh finds out he is the winner and his announcement about sharing his prize money below.
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