Palestinian who grew up in refugee camp wins $1m Global Teacher Prize

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 14, 2016

Dubai, Mar 14: "I did it ... Palestine won," shouted Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub after Pope Francis announced her name in a televised statement at the Global Teacher Prize award in Dubai on Sunday. The national flag of Palestine rose high and proud after the winner was announced.

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The Global Teacher Prize, hosted by the Varkey Foundation, awarded $1 million to Hanan, the second person until now to get the best teacher title.

Hanan, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp and now is a teacher of refugees, specialises in supporting children who have been traumatised by violence.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presented the award to a very emotional Hanan after a star-studded event, which was also attended by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

With special televised messages from Joe Biden, Vice-President of the US; Bill Clinton, former president of the US; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; and physicist Stephen Hawking, the event marked a historic moment towards the appreciation of teachers.

Hanan was one among the 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize. She took the opportunity to congratulate all her co-nominees and said that as teachers "(we) can build the morals of young minds to ensure a fair world, a more beautiful world and a more free world."

Hanan also took the opportunity to highlight the state of violence in her home country and how only education can change mindsets and bring about a positive change for the future. "There is no doubt that we live in unnatural conditions. Violence and Israeli occupation surrounds us from all sides ... Our task as teachers is complicated as we see daily the suffering in the eyes of our students and our teachers."

In an earlier interview, she said that she faces severe shortages and infrastructural limitations in her classrooms. "Sometimes there are 35 to 40 children in one class and many of the teaching tools we have are outdated ... We have very little infrastructure. With the winning, I intend to change that," said Hanan. "I want to invest more in the education and psychological betterment of students."

Joe Biden said he was impressed to see how the UAE is paving the way for education via a televised statement. He said: "Education is the key to future opportunity and the key to unlocking a life-long journey of learning is a teacher."

Prince William said teaching is an incredible responsibility and that the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry "is honoured" to be partnering with the Varkey Foundation on various schemes that celebrates teachers.

Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: "Great teachers are also great artists; they are possibly the greatest because their canvas is the human mind."

She said teachers are the true architects of the future.

Vikas Pota, CEO of Varkey Foundation, said: "Without teachers there is no progress."

Actors Salma Hayek, Matthew Mcconaughey, Abhishek Bacchan, Parineeti Chopra, and Akshay Kumar also made announcements at the prize ceremony.

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Comments

abdullah
 - 
Tuesday, 15 Mar 2016

congrats dear sister ...

Bopanna
 - 
Monday, 14 Mar 2016

Just because she is Muslim she is given an award. Appeasement at its best

Tiger Beary
 - 
Monday, 14 Mar 2016

Hey khaki cheddi naren..
sorry sorry, brown pants naren..
where the hell were you these days???
we badly miss u man!!
We love u so much machcha...

Pokar
 - 
Monday, 14 Mar 2016

thanks for the joke. also thank for mentioning in the beginning of the comment that you are going to present a joke..

Naren kotian
 - 
Monday, 14 Mar 2016

hahaha good joke ... is she a good teacher ? to fund Hamas and islamic jihad , arab milk shakes gives this type of bounty ,just like hawala... may be she was doing her best to create intifada in our israel and judea samaria ( our dearest and beloved friend ),. hahaha ... jai ho israel ... jai bharath mata ... jai indo- isarel relationship ....narendra modiji ki jai ... benjamin netanyahu zindabad ...hahaha

S.M. Nawaz Kuk…
 - 
Monday, 14 Mar 2016

Congrats Sister

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News Network
February 23,2020

Udupi, Feb 23: Tanushree Pithrody, a 10-year-old girl from Udyavar and class 6 student of St Cecily’s School, here and a Guinness World Record holder, erased the old record by covering the 100 metres 'Chakrasana race' in one minute 14 seconds to write her name in the Golden Book of World Records.

This was announced by Manish Bishnoi, Head, Golden Book of World Records, who handed over the Certificate to Ms Tanushree, who was accompanied by her father Uday Kumar and mother Sandhya here on Saturday.

The previous record-holder in this category was Samiksha Dogra [11 years and 1 month] from Rampur Bhushar, Himachal Pradesh, who had set a time of 6 minutes and 2 seconds on June14,2018.

Later speaking to scribes here, Ms Tanushree said that she was delighted that she was able to break the record. “When I was practicing, I used to finish it in around 2 minutes. This is my fifth record. I dedicate my success to my parents and my Yoga guru,”she added.

Ms Tanushree has also created a record for the ‘most forward rolls with Dhanurasana Yoga pose in 1 minute’ by performing 62 rolls and she also created the ‘fastest 100 forward rolls with Dhanurasana Yoga pose’ in 1 minute and 40 seconds on February 23, 2019 and entered the Golden Book of World Records.

In 2018, she set the Guinness World Record for ‘most full-body revolutions maintaining a chest stand position’ with 42 full-body revolutions in one minute, and on 21 March, 2019 she broke that record with 44.

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News Network
February 26,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 26: The police remand of student activist Amulya Leona Noronha, who was produced before a Magistrate, after a no-show at the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, was extended by 10 more days.

The Fifth Additional Metropolitan Magistrate at the Magistrate's home on Tuesday night had remanded her to police custody for 10 days, less than the 14 days asked for by the Special Investigative Team, considering that she has already spent over four days in judicial custody.

Amulya Noronha, a student of NMKRV College for Women, had raised pro-Pakistan slogans by shouting ''Pakistan Zindabad'' at an anti-CAA protest in Bangalore on 20th February following which the city police filed a case of sedition against her.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 28: Sleuths of Bajpe police station have busted a counterfeit currency racket and arrested two persons on charge of printing and circulating fake currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 200.

The arrested have been identified as Dheerendra (45), a resident of Kanjilakody House in Bantwal taluk, and Sudheer Poojary (44), a resident of Adyar Volabail. Both of them said to be activists of Hindutva groups and had campaigned for BJP during last Lok Sabha polls.

Apart from counterfeit currencies, the cops have recovered a colour printer, two mobile phones and a motor bike from the accused.

According police, on February 23 the miscreants went to a petty shop owned by one Abdul Salam near Suralpady and purchased a Gillette blade costing Rs 20. They handed over Rs 200 currency note to Abdul Salam and took Rs 180 back from him.

However, the shop keeper grew suspicious about the genuineness of Rs 200 note. When he went in search of the duo, he came to know that they had purchased mustard seeds from a nearby provision store belonging to one Muhammad Arif. There too, they had handover Rs 200 fake note and got change.

The duo then took fake notes back from Abdul Salam and Muhammad Arif and escaped. The next day, Abdul Salam filed a complaint with Bajpe police station.

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