Its a matter of great proud for Maharashtra as a Zila Parishad school teacher from Solapur district has won $1 million (7.4 crore) after winning Annual Global Teacher Prize 2020 in recognition of his efforts to promote girls’ education and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
Ranjitsinh Disale, 32, from Paritewadi village in of Solapur district, emerged the winner among 10 finalists from across the world. He is the first Indian. To receive this honour. Disale, interventions helped stop teenage marriages in the village and achieve 100% attendance of girls.
He believes that teachers are the world’s “real changemakers” and therefore announced that he will be sharing 50 per cent of his prize money with his fellow finalists to support their incredible work.
“ I may have won the award but I can’t change the world alone, one Ranjitsinh Disale can’t do it on his own. It would be unfair to take it all alone… look at their work, it’s exceptional. I believe teachers can bring real change and I want each one of us to get an equal chance to do so,†Disale said.
The Global Teacher Prize is an annual award instituted by the Varkey Foundation. It is awarded to a teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. Launched in 2014, nominations are open worldwide to teachers. This year, there were 12,000 nominations from across the world for the award.
Disale , who is an engineering dropout, broke out in tears and hugged his parents and one-month-old infant after being announced the winner.