STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 22:01 (GMT-2) TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2018

BRAZILIAN TEACHERDIEGO MAHFOUZ FARIA LIMAMAKES FINAL 10 FOR US $1 MILLION GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE 2018

Bill Gates announces top ten finalists in a powerful tribute to the work of teachers around the world

Diego Mahfouz Faria Lima,director of Darcy Ribeiro Municipal School, in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil,has been named a top 10 finalist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018,which is announced today at globalteacherprize.org. Now in its fourth year, the US$1 millionaward is the largest prize of its kind.

In a special video message announcing the top ten finalists, philanthropistBill Gates paid a powerful tribute to the work of teachers around the world. He said:

“When you think about what drives progress and improvement in the world, education is like a master switch—one that opens up all sorts of opportunities for individuals and societies.

“And research has shown that having a great teacher can be the most important factor that determines whether students get a great education.

“Finalists were selected based on a rigorous set of criteria, including their proven effectiveness in inspiring students and helping them learn.

“Just as important, these teachers are leaders who have innovated in the classroom and mentored their colleagues.

“They have demonstrated the kind of collaboration—teachers and schools working together—that can give all students the opportunity to get a great education”.

DiegoMahfouz Faria Limaand the other finalistshave been selected from over 30,000 nominations and applications from 173 countries around the world. The Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognize 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.

The top ten have been narrowed down froma top 50 shortlist that was announced in December 2017.By highlighting their stories the Varkey Foundation hopes that the public will be able to join in passionate debates about the importance of teachers. The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on Sunday 18 March 2018.

Diego Mahfouz Faria Lima,director of Darcy Ribeiro Municipal School, in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, is best known for his project "My school: collective reconstruction," where he rose to the challenge of transforming a school that was reported in local newspapers and television as the most violent with the highest dropout rates.

Over the course of just over a year, he managed to change the school climate, initiating a major reform program and promoting democratic management. The doors of the institution are now open at the weekend for cultural, sports and leisure activities, creating thriving links with the local community, and Diego now lectures at events for other educators so they can use his successful methods for school transformation.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize, said:

“I want to congratulate Diego Mahfouz Faria Lima for being selected as a top ten finalist from such a huge number of talented and dedicated teachers. I hope his story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over Brazil and throughout the world everyday.

“The thousands of nominations and applications we received from every corner of the planet is testimony to the achievements of teachers and the enormous impact they have on all of our lives”.

The other nine finalists for the Global Teacher Prize 2018 are:

  • NurtenAkkuşa pre-school teacher and principal at Ayvacık Pre-School, Samsun, Turkey;
  • Marjorie Brown,who teaches history at Roedean School, Johannesburg, South Africa;
  • Luis Miguel Bermudez Gutierrez, a social science teacher at the Colegio Gerardo Paredes IED, Bogotá, Colombia;
  • Jesus Insilada,who teaches English and creative writing at Caninguan National High School in Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines;
  • Glenn Lee,an engineering and technology teacher from Waialua High & Intermediate School, Waialua, Hawaii, United States;
  • KoenTimmers, a lecturer at PXL university college in Hasselt and a computer science teacher at CVO De Verdieping school in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium;
  • Eddie Woo,a mathematicsteacher from Cherrybrook Technology High School, Sydney, Australia;
  • Andria Zafirakou, an art and textiles teacher from Alperton Community School, Brent, London, United Kingdom;
  • Barbara Anna Zielonka, an English teacher at Nannestad High School, Norway.

The original top 50 shortlisted teachers were narrowed down to ten finalists by a Prize Committee. The winner will be chosen from this ten by the Global Teacher Prize Academy. All ten finalists will be invited to Dubai for the Award ceremony at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) on Sunday 18 March, where the winner will be announced live on stage in a red carpet gala event which is beamed around the world.

Further information about the top 10 finalistswill be available from Wednesday 14 February here:

To join the conversation online follow #TeachersMatter on:

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The Varkey Foundationbelieves every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. We believe nothing ismoreimportant to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers.Wesupport global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. We also founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incrediblework teachers do all over the world.

2. The top 50 teachers shortlist is narrowed down to the final ten teachers by a Prize Committee. The winner will then be chosen from these ten finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy. The Prize Committee and the Academy will look for evidence that applicants meet the following criteria:

  • Achieving demonstrable student learning outcomes in the classroom.
  • Employing innovative and effective instructional practices that are replicable and scalable to influence the quality of education globally.
  • Recognition of a teacher’s achievements in the classroom and beyond from pupils, colleagues, head-teachers or members of the wider community.
  • Helping children become global citizens through providing them with a values-based education, which equips young people with life and work skills and prepares them for a world where they will encounter people from many different nationalities, cultures and religions.
  • Achievements in the community beyond the classroom that provide unique and distinguished models of excellence for the teaching profession and others.
  • Encouraging teachers to stay in the profession and develop their skills as well as encouraging others to join the teaching profession.

3. The Global Teacher Prize Academy includes prominent names such as Wendy Kopp, co-founder and CEO of Teach for All; Brett Wigdortz, founder of Teach First,NickBooth,former CEO,The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, James E Ryan, Dean and Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education, United States,Jeffrey D. Sachs,world-renowned professor of economics and special advisor to the U.N and Lewis Pugh, theonly person to have completed a long distance swim in every ocean of the world.

4. The Global Teacher Prize winner will be paid the prize money in equal installments over ten years, and the Varkey Foundation will provide the winner with financial counseling. Without compromising their work in the classroom, the winner will be asked to serve as a global ambassador for the Varkey Foundation, attending public events and speaking in public forums about improving the prestige of the teaching profession. A condition of winning the prize is that the winner remains as a classroom teacher for at least five years.

5. PriceWaterhouseCoopers will be responsible for ensuring that the balloting process is fair and accurate. Criminal record and other background checks will be conducted on the shortlisted candidates. Top ten finalists from Global Teacher Prize 2017 could not apply for Global Teacher Prize 2018.

6. The Global Teacher Prize is part of the Varkey Foundation’s long-standing commitment to improve the status of teachers. In November 2013, the foundation published theGlobal Teacher Status Index, the first attempt to compare attitudes towards teachers in 21 countries. The index found that there were significant differences between the status of teachers worldwide. The survey also found that in many countries, between a third and half of parents would “probably” or “definitely not” encourage their children to enter the teaching profession. The full Global Teacher Status Index can be found at:

7.Bill Gates is Co-Chair and Trustee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation