Two Indian teachers shortlisted for 2021 Global Teacher Prize

Can an Indian win the USD 1-million Global Teacher Prize again this year making it two consecutive years in a row? There is every possibility as two Indian teachers; Satyam Mishra, a mathematics teacher from Bhagalpur in Bihar, and Meghana Musunuri, a Social Studies, English and Math teacher from Hyderabad have made it to the top 50 shortlist for the Global Teacher Prize, organised by the Varkey Foundation in partnership with UNESCO.

In 2020, Ranjitsinh Disale Zilla Parishad Primary School, Paritewadi, Maharashtra, India had won the coveted prize and also shared his prize money with the other contestants stating that each one deserves it.

This year the attracted Global Teacher Prize over 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries. Mishra uses multiplication tricks to make the subject interesting, while Meghana Musunuri is an education futurist and entrepreneur.

“It is only by prioritising education that we can safeguard all our tomorrows. Education is the key to facing the future with confidence,” said Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation.

“UNESCO is a proud partner of the Global Teacher Prize, which has done so much to highlight teachers’ transformational role in young people’s lives. Inspirational teachers and extraordinary students alike deserve recognition for their commitment to education amid the learning crisis we see today,” said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education at UNESCO.

“If we are to rebuild a better world in the wake of COVID we must prioritise giving every child their birthright of a quality education. It is the next generation, with teachers as their guide, who will safeguard the future for us all,” she said.

Alongside, an inaugural sister prize – the Chegg.Org Global Student Prize – includes four Indian students in the top 50 shortlist with Kaif Ali, a 21-year-old architecture student at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; Aayush Gupta, a 23-year-old MBA student at IIM Ahmedabad; and Seema Kumari, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand; and Vipin Kumar Sharma, a 24-year-old student from the Central University of Haryana.

The prize money for the new student prize has now also been doubled to USD 100,000.

The winners will be chosen by the Global Teacher Prize Academy and the Global Student Prize Academy, respectively, and unveiled at an awards ceremony in Paris in November.