In a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday, tech billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates, 62, thanked the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid.
Why? Well, because Sheikh Mohammed is a patron of the Dubai-based Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018 - a US$1 million (Dh3.67 million) award that goes to a person, from anywhere in the world, who is working to help educate minds, often against all odds.
The aim of the prize is to treat teachers like the rock stars that they often are.
Bill Gates appeared in the video to announce the nominations for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018 - there were 30,000 applicants from 173 countries around the world. The finalists are from South Africa, Australia, the UK, Brazil, the US, the Philippines, Belgium, Colombia, Turkey and Norway:
Education is a particular passion for Sheikh Mohammed: "Combating ignorance is the fastest route to combating poverty," explained Sheikh Mohammed when speaking about another of his initiatives, Reading Nation, which provided 8.2 million books to children in the region. "If we want to open doors of hope to millions, we must open the doors for them to science and knowledge," he added.
In the Twitter video, Gates explains why the prize is so important: "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."
The Global Teacher Prize was established to give recognition to a teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the teaching profession. It was developed by Sunny Varkey, Founder and Executive Chairman of the GEMS Education Group. Mr Varkey commissioned a study in 2013 to explore global attitudes towards teaching. The study showed that the professions' status had dropped in people's estimations - the Global Teacher Prize was developed in an effort to raise the profession's profile.
The prize-giving ceremony takes place on the final day of Dubai's Global Education and Skills Forum, which this year falls on March 18.
Past winners
The inaugural prize was presented to Nancie Atwell in 2015 by former US President Bill Clinton, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sunny Varkey. Ms Atwell, 63, an English teacher and founder of the Centre of Teaching and Learning in Maine, donated all her prize money to the school, which is a demonstration school (an educational establishment used for training future teachers.)
The winner of the 2016 award was Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub from Samiha Khalil High School in Al Bireh, Palestine. Ms Al Hroub grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp where she was regularly exposed to violence. She entered primary education after her children were left traumatised by a shooting they witnessed on their way home from school. Her approach to teaching inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach.
Last year's winner was Canadian teacher Maggie MacDonnell from Ikusik School in Salluit, northern Quebec. She was given the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for her role in improving school attendance rates and girls' registration at the school, located in the Inuit region of Nunavik.
List of nominees for 2018
Nurten Akkuş, Ayvacık Pre-School, Turkey
Marjorie Brown, Roedean School, South Africa
Luis Miguel Bermudez Gutierrez, Colegio Gerardo Paredes IED, Colombia
Jesus Insilada, Alcarde Gustilo Memorial National High School, Philippines
Glenn Lee, Waialua High & Intermediate School, United States
Diego Mahfouz Faria Lima, Escola Municipal Darcy Ribeiro, Brazil
Koen Timmers, CVO De Verdieping, Belgium
Eddie Woo, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Australia
Andria Zafirakou, Alperton Community School, United Kingdom
Barbara Anna Zielonka, Nannestad High School, Norway
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Read more:
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
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Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
PRISCILLA
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
