Pakistani teacher Sister Zeph has won the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023.
Sister Zeph, who founded her own school for the underprivileged children in the courtyard of her home at the age of 13, has won the prestigious award organised in collaboration with UNESCO and in strategic partnership with Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organisation. Now in its eighth year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind.
Sister Zeph, an English, Urdu, culture, interfaith harmony and climate change teacher in the Pakistani city of Gujranwala, was selected from more than 7,000 nominations and applications for the Global Teacher Prize from 130 countries around the world.
Actor, comedian, and writer Stephen Fry announced Sister Zeph as the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2023, at a ceremony which he also hosted, from UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris as a key part of its 42nd session General Conference.
Multi Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers spoke at the ceremony, highlighting the impact teachers had on his life and career, as well as the work of the We Are Family Foundation. He said, “Learning is the greatest experience in life. Learning never ends and teachers never disappear.”
US National Youth Poet Laureate Alexandra Huỳnh wrote and read aloud a special poem on the value of an empowered education. The Voice singer Rachel Modest also performed at the ceremony, singing a tribute to the world’s teachers.
Sister Zeph founded her own school in the courtyard of her home at just 13 for children whose parents cannot pay fees. She worked eight hours a day to fund the school, then taught students for another four hours, and then stayed up at night teaching herself.
Twenty-six years later, the school, now housed in a brand-new building, provides free education for more than 200 underprivileged children. Many of her students from humble background have gone to work for her education and empowerment foundation while others have gone on to very successful professional careers.
As well as running the school, she runs self-defence classes for girls, having herself been attacked and threatened. She also provides financial assistance to families choosing between educating their children and paying their bills, and runs a vocational centre that has helped more than 6,000 women gain skills in ICT, textiles, and the English language.
With the Global Teacher Prize funds, Sister Zeph plans to build a school on 10 acres where children from the poorest families in the country can be educated without discrimination. She would also like to create a shelter for orphans, where food would be grown on the property and teachers from all parts of the world would be invited to instruct them in a range of subjects.
