A new USD 55,000 Global Student Prize that offers a new platform to highlight the efforts of extraordinary students making an impact on learning and society at large was launched on Tuesday by the research arm of education firm Chegg and UK-based Varkey Foundation.
As the sister prize of the annual USD 1 million Global Teacher Prize, the new Chegg.org student award will be open to students worldwide who are at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills programme. Part-time students as well as students enrolled in online courses will also be eligible. "Students throughout the world during the pandemic have shown great strength, focus and determination to keep learning and keep fighting for their future. They deserve huge praise and recognition for never giving up," said Lila Thomas, Head of Chegg.org. "These students will now be charged with helping to solve some of the greatest challenges in history.
The Global Student Prize has been launched to shine a light on their stories and listen to their voices. After all, it is their dreams, their insights and their creativity that will help to build the future," she said. Together, the creators of the Global Teacher Prize and the Global Student Prize say they aim to shine a spotlight on the great work teachers do in preparing young people for the future and the amazing promise the brightest students are showing in their learning. "Heroic fellow Indian teachers have gone above and beyond, especially during the pandemic, to keep young people learning, said Ranjit Disale, winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2020, as he called on Indian teachers and students to apply for the 2021 cohort of awards. "Like much of the world, India has been turned upside down by COVID, and it is ultimately teachers and students that will play leading roles in the nation's rebuilding and recovery.
We must recognise their inspirational work in every corner of India if we are to build a better tomorrow, he said. Teachers applying for the Global Teacher Prize will be assessed on teaching practices, how they innovate to address local challenges, achieve demonstrable learning outcomes, impact the community beyond the classroom, help children become global citizens, improve the teaching profession and gain recognition from external bodies.
Students applying for the Global Student Prize will be assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens. "Both these prizes have been launched to highlight the importance of education in tackling the great challenges ahead from climate change to growing inequality to global pandemics, said Sunny Varkey, the Indian-origin philanthropist behind the initiative. "With the world leaders preoccupied with the vital task of bringing this terrible pandemic to an end, I urge them to never forget that it is only by prioritizing education that we can safeguard all our tomorrows. Education is the key to facing the future with confidence, he said.
Both prizes will be narrowed down to the Top 50 shortlists and then Top 10 finalists. The winners will be chosen by a Global Teacher Prize Academy made up of prominent individuals and announced live at a ceremony later in the year.
