Indian Actor and Teacher Swaroop Rawal has recently been listed among the top 10 finalists of the $ 1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for her different and special teaching methods.
Currently, Swaroop Rawal practices teaching at Lavad Primary School in Gujrat. She was among 10,000 nominations, who were shortlisted and announced at Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in Dubai, across 179 countries, for which the winner will be announced next month on March 24, 2019.
“This solidifies that some very special people are noticing and celebrating the work done by teachers,” Rawal said, in response to the announcement.
“Given the scale of the education challenge world over, I strongly believe every effort made in education should be celebrated and thus I congratulate my fellow teachers; those have made to the list and also those who haven’t,” she said.
Swaroop Rawal had won the title of Miss India and is married to actor Paresh Rawal, shares that her goals behind teaching were just two, to help make children more resilient through life skills education and identify new methods of teaching.
“I want my children to be equipped with life skills that not only make them resilient but emotionally empowered. I want life skills education in all schools, for all children, from all age groups,” she said.
According to the organization, her teaching has reached a massive amount of people including children from streets, in rural communities, economically and socially disadvantaged children, as well as elite school children.
Her unique method of teaching includes conducting drama in education, which involves group discussion, brainstorming, debate, games, song, and drawing.
She also contributed in eradicating child marriage in Bhadbhediya and child labor in Sondra’s diamond polishing industry by persuading children to enroll themselves in schools, along with understanding the concept of teaching, became a teacher-trainer and trained over 10,000 teachers.
“I hope her story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over India and throughout the world every day,” said Sunny Varkey, the Indian-origin entrepreneur founder of the UK-based Varkey Foundation.
“The thousands of nominations and applications we received from every corner of the planet is testimony to the achievements of teachers and the enormous impact they have on all of our lives,” he said.
The Final Top 10 were announced by the renowned actor Hugh Jackman, who described teachers as “superheroes”.
“When I was a kid there were lots of superheroes that I wanted to be. But I can tell you right now, from where I stand, with all my experience, the real superheroes are teachers – they’re the ones that change the world,” said the Australian actor-singer-producer.
