Recognising teachers worldwide

Yasmin Noorul Amin

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian teacher is among 50 educationists shortlisted worldwide for the US$1mil (RM3.5mil) Global Teacher Prize awarded by Dubai-based Varkey GEMS Foundation (VGF).

An engineer before becoming a teacher, Yasmin Noorul Amin (pic) from SMK La Salle here was a recipient of the Education Ministry’s Excellence Award in 2008.

“An engineer by thinking. A chemistry teacher by profession. That sums up who I am,” she said.

Yasmin said she conducted her classes in English to give her students exposure to the language and increase their awareness of the global world.

In a statement here, VGF founder Sunny Varkey said the Global Teacher Prize was awarded to teachers who strove to open up their pupils’ minds, “who contribute to the community and encourage others to become teachers”.

“Teachers have an enormous impact on their students’ lives.

“The prize is not only about money. It is also about unearthing thousands of stories of inspiration as the many applications prove,” he said.

The Dubai-based education entrepreneur and education philanthropist is the founder and chairman of the global advisory and educational management firm GEMS Education, which is the largest operator of private kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools.

It has a network of over 130 schools in over a dozen countries.

Varkey is also the chairman of the umbrella business organisation the Varkey Group and the founder and trustee of the philanthropic Varkey GEMS Foundation. As of 2012, Varkey is also a Unesco Goodwill Ambassador.

The winner of this “Nobel Prize” for teachers will be selected by the Global Teacher Prize Academy, which includes head teachers, journalists, scientists and celebrities such as Kevin Spacey and jazz musician Esperanza Spalding.

The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on March 16.