A school in Uganda that started in two rooms after civil war and a public school in Chile which teaches underprivileged children are among the five winners of the $250,000 World’s Best School Prize announced on Wednesday.
T4 Education, a platform for educators and schools, announced the winners during an online ceremony.
The $250,000 prize will be shared equally among the five schools, with each receiving an award of $50,000.
Schools were awarded across five different categories including environmental action, innovation, community collaboration, supporting pupils' health, and overcoming adversity.
Project Shelter Wakadogo in Uganda, which was founded in 2009 in the aftermath of two decades of civil war, won the World’s Best School Prize for overcoming adversity.
Located in a remote village in Gulu, northern Uganda, the school has flourished from a school with only two classrooms to educating more than 450 pupils, with one of the highest pupil retention rates in the country.
Dunoon Grammar School in Scotland was named the winner of the World’s Best School Prize for community collaboration. The school works to ensure pupils reach their destinations post-school and connects them to work placements, while developing their entrepreneurial skills.
Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago was named the winner for supporting healthy lives. It offers integrated health services and programmes to ensure pupils are healthy, safe, engaged and supported.
Bonuan Buquig National High School in the Philippines won the prize for environmental action. The school took action to replant lost mangroves to reverse the environmental devastation affecting its pupils, as most of them live near fish ponds and coastal areas.
Escuela Emilia Lascar in Chile won the prize for innovation, as it overcame the challenges of the pandemic by using the power of TV to help pupils focus on their studies.
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said the competition was created to acknowledge the work and expertise of “trailblazing schools from every corner of the globe so that leaders can learn from their incredible stories”.
“Far too many children will continue to be left behind after Covid unless governments take urgent action to tackle the education crisis,” he said.
“As a first step, they must turn to the knowledge and experience contained within our schools because those on the front lines of education know better than anyone else the change we need to see.”
The awards aim to share the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of pupils.
UAE schools shortlisted
Two UAE schools were shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes earlier this year.
Gems Legacy School in Dubai was named in the top 10 shortlist for environmental action, while Shining Star International School in Abu Dhabi was named in the top 10 shortlist for innovation.
All the schools shortlisted across the five prizes, including the two UAE schools, will showcase their expertise in tool kits on the new T4 Communities app launched this week.
The winners were chosen by a panel of judges which included academics, educators, members of non-governmental organisations, government, civil society, the private sector, and entrepreneurs.
Judges were informed by a public advisory vote in which nearly 50,000 people from around the world voted for their favourite schools.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pathaan
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Specs
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5