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
•    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 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.