Two Jordanian teachers among 50 finalists for $1m award

AMMAN — Two Jordanian educators, recently selected among the top 50 finalists for “the world’s first $1 million” teacher prize, said their participation in the competition encouraged them to increase their efforts to give more to students and local communities.

Randa Abdul Aziz, an art teacher at Al Amawie District Secondary School in Amman, and Hanan Al Madaheen, a physics teacher at King Abdullah II School for Excellence in Aqaba, were recently named among the top 50 finalists for the Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize, a $1 million award that will be given to “an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession”.

“Having such an award encourages teachers to do more and boosts their morale. It is not just about financial rewards, it is about the appreciation of teachers and their noble profession,” Abdul Aziz told The Jordan Times Monday.

The art teacher, who is also an interior designer, said she communicated with several companies and NGOs in the area to help paint the entire school to add colour. 

Her activities also included turning the schoolyard, which she described as a landfill, into a colourful garden with benches for students throughout the facility.

“I also helped local communities and women in nearby areas with handicrafts and several activities to generate income. As a teacher I do not only teach students, I also communicate with them and help in solving problems they face,” Abdul Aziz said.

Madaheen, who has been teaching physics for the past 20 years, said she developed her skills and introduced new techniques for teaching physics in the classroom.

“Physics is seen as a difficult subject for students and they usually complain. Traditional methods of teaching physics are usually tough and cannot help students. I teach physics through playing games. I introduced playground physics in the school and students love my classes,” Madaheen told The Jordan Times.

In addition to introducing new techniques, she started an initiative called “Bridges” to help students in Aqaba communicate with each other and build friendships.

“The initiative entails exchanging visits between schoolchildren and sharing experiences and learning from each other,” Madaheen said.

“Taking part in this global award is a source of pride and honour for me. Even with limited resources, we can do a lot and raise better and more educated generations of students.”

The top 50 have been shortlisted from over 5,000 nominations and 1,300 final applications from 127 countries around the world, according to the award’s website. 

The top 50 shortlist has representatives from 26 countries.

The top 10 finalists will be announced in mid-February 2015 and the winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on March 16, according to the website.

The two Jordanian teachers, along with an educator from Morocco, are the only Arabs among the top 50 finalists.

According to the award’s website, the winning candidate will be a teacher who has achieved exceptional results in student learning, and won the respect of the community through activities beyond the classroom. He/she will have provided a role model to other teachers through charity, community work or other cultural achievements.  

The winner will also have encouraged other teachers to join the profession and contributed to discussions and debates about how to raise teaching standards. He/she will also have opened up access to a quality education for children of all backgrounds and prepared young people to be “global citizens”.