Dubai: “I want the children of Palestine to live in love and peace like the rest of the children in the world,” Hanan Al Hroub, winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize Award told Gulf News following the award ceremony on Sunday.
Al Hroub, who teaches Arabic at Samiha Khalil High School, Al Bireh, Palestine, was announced the winner by Pope Francis via video after being one of the top 10 finalists, shortlisted from over 8,000 competitors from all over the world.
“I am proud to be one of the inspirational top 10 finalists. I believe that it is teachers who have the power to change not only the education scene but the world. New curriculums, technology in education are all good, but they mean nothing if the teacher is not put first,” she told Gulf News in an interview.
Having children who were traumatised by a shooting incident and witnessing acts of violence herself while growing up in a refugee camp in Bethlehem motivated Al Hroub to adopt play as a method of resolving violence and tension.
“Everyone knows the difficult situation of the people of Palestine and we teachers can see the suffering in their eyes. This violent environment can reflect on their behaviour. I started targeting groups of students and tried to influence their environment by playing with them and gaining their trust. I shifted their frustration towards education.”
Al Hroub’s approach stood out to the judges of the award as it focuses on developing trusting, respectful, honest and affectionate relationships with her students and emphasises the importance of literacy.
“I was able to gradually reduce violence among students and raise their academic performance. I can’t control their environment or protect them outside school. So I try to at least provide them with a happy and safe environment inside. ”
Commenting on the teacher demonstrations that broke out in the West Bank six days ago due to poor wages, she said change is needed.
“I am in the same shoes as the demonstrators. Wages are low and there should be a change and policymakers must take charge in making change.”
In fact, Al Hroub pledged to use the $1 million to pay for the university tuition of male students who wish to become educators.
“I will support male high school achievers who excel in their studies and want to pursue a career in education. There is a shortage of male teachers as they choose to not study education because of the low wages. But I will support them and I want them to use my play method in teaching to help children,” she said.
Al Hroub also said she wants to use part of the fund to start a programme where her play method is taught to other teachers.
Al Hroub’s win was announced on Sunday night via a special video message by Pope Francis broadcast to the Global Teacher Prize ceremony taking place at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) 2016 in Dubai.
“I would like to congratulate the teacher, Hanan Al Hroub, for winning this prestigious prize due to the importance that she gave to the ‘playing’ part in the education of the children. A child has the right to play. Part of education is to teach children how to play because you learn how to be social through games as well as learn the joy of life,” the Pope said.
She was presented the prize by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, the foundation that established the prize.
The Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of millions of teachers all over the world.
Now in its second year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind.
Hollywood stars such as Salma Hayek and Matthew McConaughey and Indian movie stars Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Parineeti Chopra took to the stage to commend the noble profession of teachers. Former US president Bill Clinton and US Vice-President Joe Biden did the same via video messages.
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, said: “I would like to congratulate Hanan Al Hroub. Your work is a great inspiration and an example of the work of teachers around the world. I’ve been fortunate to have been taught by some of the best teachers in the world, and I know what an incredible teacher can mean to a child. A good teacher holds the path to influence, inspire and shape a young person’s life for the better,”
Sunny Varkey said: “I want to congratulate Hanan Al Hroub for winning the Global Teacher Prize 2016 from such a huge number of talented and dedicated teachers. I hope her story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over Palestine and throughout the world every day.”
Finalists
•Maarit Rossi from Finland who developed her own method for teaching maths.
•Aqeela Asifi came to Pakistan as a refugee from Afghanistan and is teaching refugee children in a school that she created.
•Ayoub Mohammad, a business studies teacher from Kenya, who established a project to discourage violent extremism and radicalisation.
•Robin Chaurasiya from Mumbai in India founded an organisation to teach and support teenagers from the city’s Red Light district.
•Richard Johnson, a science teacher from Perth in Australia, set up a science laboratory for primary schoolchildren.
•Michael Soskil from the US motivated his pupils by linking them with projects around the world.
•Kazuya Takahashi from Japan has developed innovative ways to teach science and to encourage global citizenship.
•Joe Fatheree from the US has pioneered teaching projects using 3D printing, drone technology and online games such as Minecraft.
