Hyderabad teacher shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize

London: Meghana Musunuri, a social studies, English and math teacher from Hyderabad and Satyam Mishra, a mathematics teacher from Bhagalpur in Bihar, have made it to the top 50 shortlist for this year's USD 1-million Global Teacher Prize announced on Thursday.

Organised by the Varkey Foundation in partnership with UNESCO, the prize attracted over 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries. "It is only by prioritising education that we can safeguard all our tomorrows. Education is the key to facing the future with confidence," said Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation.

Mishra made the cut for his determination to change the way children look at the world and uses cool multiplication tricks to bring his subject alive for students.

Musunuri, the second Indian teacher on the 2021 shortlist, is described as an education futurist, philanthropist and a passionate entrepreneur as the founder and chairperson of Fountainhead Global School & Junior College and also Hyderabad Champion for Google's Women Entrepreneurs On The Web (WEOW), guiding women entrepreneurs in establishing their online presence.

"UNESCO is a proud partner of the Global Teacher Prize, which has done so much to highlight teachers' transformational role in young people's lives. Inspirational teachers and extraordinary students alike deserve recognition for their commitment to education amid the learning crisis we see today," said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education at UNESCO.

"If we are to rebuild a better world in the wake of Covid we must prioritise giving every child their birthright of a quality education. It is the next generation, with teachers as their guide, who will safeguard the future for us all," she said.