Indian teacher wins $1m, gives half away

A teacher, Ranjitsinh Disale, from a village school in India, praised for improving the education of girls, has won this year’s Global Teacher Prize.

But Disale is very unusual as has already given away half of the $1m (£750,000) – sharing it with runners-up in the competition, BBC reports.

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A special Covid Hero prize was won by Jamie Frost, a UK teacher who ran a free maths tuition website.

The winners were announced by Stephen Fry in an online ceremony.

Disale, who teaches in the Zilla Parishad Primary School, in the drought-prone village of Paritewadi, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, was named the world’s most exceptional teacher, ahead of 12,000 other nominations.

“In this hard time, teachers are giving their best to make sure every student has access to their birthright of a good education,” said Mr Disale, aged 32.

believing that “teachers ‘always believe in giving and sharing’, he shared half his prize money among the other teachers shortlisted in the top 10.

Disale was praised by the competition’s organisers

The judges of the competition praised Disale’s work that ensures disadvantaged girls went to school and achieved high results – rather than missing out on school and facing early marriage.

He also provides online science lessons for pupils in 83 countries and runs an international project building connections between young people in conflict zones.

“The Covid pandemic has dealt a severe blow to education systems around the world… but it is the contribution of teachers during these difficult times that is making the difference,” said Stefania Giannini, assistant director general of Unesco, a partner in the competition.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation that set up the teachers’ competition, said “by sharing the prize you teach the world the importance of giving”.