By Kingsley Nana Buadu
A teacher at Doblo Gonno Methodist Basic School in the Volta Region of Ghana,Faith Aku Dzakpasu, has been shortlisted for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, a Varkey Foundation initiative organised in collaboration with UNESCO.
She was nominated for her remarkable initiatives that are addressing systemic issues in education and society.
Some of her initiatives include the launch of the READ (Readers Enjoying Authors’ Dreams) project to improve literacy rates and designed the “READ101++” model to enhance reading fluency.
She is nominated alongside other forty-Nine (49) teachers globally.
Faith Aku Dzakpasu, was shortlisted for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 89 countries around the world.
The One million dollar, Global Teacher Prize is currently in its ninth year and the largest prize of its kind.
It 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.
The awards again seeks to unearth thousands of stories of heroes and heroines who have transformed young people’s lives and hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of millions of teachers all over the world.
Since its launch in 2014, the Global Teacher Prize has received over 100,000 applications and nominations from around the globe.
The 38 year old Creative Art teacher, Faith Aku Dzakpasu’s teaching philosophy focuses on innovative and inclusive strategies tailored to meet the diverse needs of her students.
She employs research-based methods like Layering Text, Cross Text Analysis, and tools such as ChatGPT to simplify complex concepts.
Her classroom fosters creativity, active participation, and hands-on learning whiles integrating digital tools like Canva and 3D modelling software.
She has also established centres for supporting students with learning disabilities and offers creative modules to help all learners succeed, regardless of their challenges.
She tackled period poverty through her School Girl Rebranded Project, introducing sanitary pad dispensers, biodegradable cloth pads, and refurbished changing rooms, helping girls stay in school and boosting their confidence.
Faith founded the Street School Project, bringing education to street children, and the Creative Aid Agenda, which has trained over 4,200 individuals in entrepreneurial skills like biodegradable paper bag crafting.
She also established the Mother of Many Missions orphanage project, supporting orphans with essentials and education.
Her “Reinventing Behind Bars” initiative empowers incarcerated women with self-care and reintegration tools.
Faith’s environmental advocacy includes the Eco Innovation Program, where students learn to recycle waste into useful crafts and champion sustainable practices like tree planting and waste segregation.
She fosters global citizenship by embedding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into her teaching, organizing international school collaborations, and mentoring students to tackle global challenges creatively and collaboratively.
Her dedication has yielded measurable outcomes.
Whiles at Odorgonno Model School, for instance, her teaching propelled 39 students to excel in Ghana’s Basic Education Certificate Examination, with one earning the prestigious Head of State Award.
Faith’s visually engaging classroom designs and inclusive methods have consistently boosted attendance, confidence, and academic performance.
In an interview, Madam Aku Dzakpasu, who has taught for 14 years , expressed immense gratitude to the organizers of the award for her nomination and thanked God for the honour “I was excited to be named among Five Thousand teachers across the globe” She stressed.
When asked , what did the trick for her and what other teachers need to do to attain similar feat ? she noted “They should just be passionate and inculcate a lot of creativity and innovation into what they do to have community impact”.
The 2025 GEMS Education Global Teachers Prize Winner will be announced at the World Government Summit in Dubai from the 11th to 13th February.
Meanwhile, the top ten (10) finalists will be announced in late January.
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