A primary school teacher from India was on Thursday named the winner of the $1 million annual Global Teacher Prize 2020 in recognition of his efforts to promote girls’ education and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
Ranjitsinh Disale, 32, from Paritewadi village in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, emerged the winner among 10 finalists from across the world. The annual prize was founded by the Varkey Foundation in 2014 to recognise an exceptional teacher who has made outstanding contribution to the profession.
Mr Disale, who believes that teachers are the world’s “real changemakers”, announced that he will be sharing 50 per cent of his prize money with his fellow finalists to support their “incredible work”.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed education and the communities it serves in a multitude of ways. But, in this hard time, teachers are giving their best to make sure every student has access to their birthright of a good education,” Mr Disale said.