Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary school teacher from Solapur village in Maharashtra, has won the Global Teacher Prize 2020. The announcement was made virtually. The ceremony was hosted by British actor Stephen Fry from the Natural History Museum in London.
The Global Teacher Prize is a US $1 million award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the teaching profession. Founded by the Varkey Foundation, it was organised in partnership with UNESCO this year.
There were more than 12,000 nominations and applications, from over 140 countries around the world. Ranjitsinh Disale was recognised for his efforts at promoting education for girls and triggering a quick response coded textbook revolution in India.
Ranjitsinh has not only won the prize, but also the hearts of other participants, as he intends to share half of the prize money with the remaining nine finalists from the Global Teacher Prize 2020. He believes that if he shares the prize money with nine teachers, he can scale up their work as well and they will get a chance to continue their work.
He also added, “Teachers are the real change-makers who are changing the lives of their students with a mixture of chalk and challenges. They always believe in giving and sharing”.