DUBAI: Two teachers from the Middle East have been included in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018 at globalteacherprize.org. Now in its fourth year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind.

Hiba Ballout, a biology teacher and science coordinator at Saint George Schools, Beirut, Lebanon, and Samar Naazal, who teaches robotics and physics to mainly Syrian and Palestinian refugee girls, in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) school in Irbid, Jordan, were shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize 2018 having been selected from over 30,000 nominations and applications from 173 countries around the world.

The Global Teacher Prize was set up 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. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of millions of teachers all over the world.

The top 50 shortlist has representatives from 33 countries and by highlighting their stories the Varkey Foundation hopes that the public will be able to join in passionate debates about the importance of teachers.