Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub won 2016 Global Teacher Prize

A Palestinian primary school teacher from a refugee camp, Hanan Al Hroub, on 13 March 2016 won one million dollar Global Teacher Prize. She was awarded for her outstanding contribution to the profession.

Hroub, who runs the Samiha Khalil High School in Al-Bireh, Palestine, defeated nine other finalists from around the world, including India’s Robin Chaurasiya to win the award.

The 2016 Winner of the Global Teacher Prize was announced by Pope Francis in a ceremony held at the Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai.

Hroub uses a specialist approach in her school, which she developed, detailed in her book 'We Play and Learn' to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hroub's approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where it was a frequent occurrence. She has also inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach and their classroom management strategies.

Robin Chaurasiya runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city's red light district of Kamatipura.

Top ten finalists for the award included

• Hanan Al Hroub from Palestine

• Aqeela Asifi from Pakistan

• Ayub Mohamud from Kenya

• Colin Hegarty from United Kingdom

• Joe Fatheree from Unites States of America

• Kazuya Takahashi from Japan

• Maarit Rossi from Finland

• Michael Soskil from Unites States of America

• Richard Johnson from Australia

• Robin Chaurasiya from India

About The Global Teacher Prize

The Global Teacher Prize is a 1 million US dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

The prize serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated. It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers – not only on their students but on the communities around them.

The prize was set up by Kerala-born entrepreneur and educational philanthropist Sunny Varkey, 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.

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