Queen meets Global Teacher Prize finalists

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania met on Monday with three Jordanian teachers who have been among the Global Teacher Prize top 50 finalists. 

All three teachers are past winners of the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education (QRAEE).

Nesrin Bakaeen, a mathematics teacher at Karak Secondary School for Girls, has been nominated for this year’s Global Teacher Prize.  

Randa Abdulaziz, an art teacher at Al Amawi District Secondary School in Amman, and Hanan Al Madaheen, a physics teacher at King Abdullah II School for Excellence in Aqaba, were nominated for the prize last year, according to a statement from the Queen's office.

During the meeting, also attended by QRAEE Chairman Izzedine Katkhuda and QRAEE Director Lubna Touqan, Her Majesty expressed her pride in the teachers’ ability to compete internationally.

The Queen also called on the educators to employ the talents they have gained at their schools to contribute towards promoting education excellence in Jordan.

The teachers shared with Her Majesty their experience with the QRAEE, explaining what they gained from it and how it helped them refine their teaching skills and compete globally. 

They also said it helped them achieve greater educational outcomes in their classrooms.

The Global Teacher Prize is an annual $1 million award given to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. 

The London-based Varkey Foundation established the prize in 2014 to raise the stature of the teaching profession. 

The prize is awarded under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai.

The winner will be announced in March 2016 at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, the statement said.