2024 regional winners
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Aynur Bayazit, Menekşe Ahmet Yalçınkaya Anaokulu School – Turkey
Regional winner for Europe
"The social responsibility project 'Little Brothers Learning Their Manners' as well as the 'My Story' and 'Game Therapy' projects have helped students and their families to identify and overcome trauma. To address the shortage of quality books for pre-school and primary school, as well as low overall school literacy levels, Aynur has written 10 books in partnership with the families of her students, reaching 81 cities. Out of a desire to reach blind students with these books, Aynur recruited dubbers from Turkish radio and the television corporation to create audio versions. She has arranged skype calls with schools in Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Greece and Pakistan so that her students can meet people from other cultures, work on their communication skills and collaborate together. (Four years ago her school did not have a computer, but thanks to Aynur it now even has a 3D printer.)"
Ramon Majé Floriano Montessori sede San Francisco – Colombia
Regional winner for Latin America
"Professor Ramón connected the school with the community and the coffee-growing region through CaféLab Colombia, a project that is transforming us into environmental leaders, seeking innovative solutions to an aggressive problem: coffee waste. This program is developed through three phases: immersion, transfer, and communication, and it is now the best project in the world in the environmental action category, an acknowledgment made by the T4 Education Foundation in 2023. Similarly, the professor managed the donation of an innovative ICT classroom, where major projects of the fourth industrial revolution are developed in a rural Colombian area. Additionally, the construction of six learning environments was managed, where we develop all kinds of competencies from a STEM approach, benefiting over 165,000 inhabitants of the region."
Sydney Engelbert, Keningau Vocational College – Malaysia
Regional winner for Southeast Asia & Pacific
"She teaches English at a rural vocational school in Keningau, a landlocked valley in Sabah, Malaysia, where her students barely travel outside the district. In an effort to enrich her students’ learning experience, she kickstarted an online exchange class in 2022 with several vocational schools in Malaysia, The Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia. The first cohort of the three-month exchange programme involved 112 students from the four countries with 45 students alone from her school. In 2023, the number increased to 252 students with 70 of them from her school. This programme has allowed her students to improve their English language, communication skills, cultural competence and learn about topics beyond their standard curriculum that complement their classroom learning. One of the best performing students from the programme has ventured into a nearly similar project by currently leading a virtual masterclass series conducted by teachers from abroad, particularly Europe and Africa."
Gina Justus, Our Own English High School Sharjah-Girls, Sharjah – United Arab Emirates
Regional winner for Middle East & North Africa
"For Gina Biju Justus, teaching has always remained a passion. With seventeen years of experience in Our Own Sharjah Girls, an enterprising woman, she loves to explore innovative strategies of teaching and learning. As the Head of English, phase three, she was able to lead the team by fostering a spirit of oneness within the team and making them feel approachable and comfortable to share their ideas with her. She was able to mentor her team and provide them with accurate guidelines to adopt suitable teaching strategies as they taught in the class. She organised and conducted workshops to raise the standards of the department. Hailing from Kerala, she is involved in charity work with an NGO, Reach Worldwide. She has been able to sponsor five children who were deprived of education. She is a woman of determination and always faces life with a smile."
Pengfei Jiang, Zhuji Ronghuai Foreign Language
School, – China
Regional winner for East Asia
"Pengfei works as the academic principal at Zhuji Ronghuai Foreign Language School, as well as the founder of the SDGs curriculum office, developing and delivering the SDGs curriculum and educational activities for more than 80,000 students across China. His SDGs curriculum was presented at the recent sixth China Education Innovation Achievements Welfare Exposition. Mango Curriculum has been designed for students to gain STEM knowledge and skills to solve problems of environmental sustainability and change their mindset of growing mangoes as sustainable businesses rather than draining the local coal mines to develop the economy. He won a global competition for the Design for Future Education Award which was organised by UNESCO and Beijing Normal University. He introduced green education at the 2nd PRME Global Students Virtual Annual Summit 2023 and UNESCO International Youth Day Event, and hosting the Local Youth Environment Assembly (Kunming, China) allowed him to reach even more audiences in SDGs Education."
Meena Mishra, Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan International School – India
Regional winner for South Asia
"Meena Mishra, a polymath and beacon in literature and education, has left an indelible mark through her transformative initiatives. With 27 years of service as an English teacher in Maharashtra, she founded "SSC EDU Warriors," a platform providing free training and teaching aids to uplift the state's educational standards. Her commitment to progress is evident in addressing challenges actively. As CEO of The Impish Lass Publishing House, she launched "The Young Bards," a CSR-driven initiative that not only amplifies young talents globally but fosters cross-cultural exchange. Mihir Sane's story, an 8-year-old author from New Jersey, epitomizes the project's impact, showcasing Meena's literary altruism. Through her compassionate leadership, Meena Mishra exemplifies how one person can positively influence education, literature, and social responsibility, leaving an enduring legacy of inspiration."
Tajudeen Odufeso, Isara Secondary School – Nigeria
Regional winner for Sub Saharan Africa
"Mr. Odufeso Tajudeen is a passionate, dedicated and outstanding educator that teaches his learners not because of income but the outcome. He uses 21st Century Teaching Methods to engage his learners to achieve the SDGs - Goal 4 (Quality Education) with the use of Plicker cards for Formative Assessment to determine the level of understanding of students. His teaching methodology is Student-Centered that allow the Students to collaborate, interact with one another, improve critical thinking and academic achievement.
During COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown, Mr. Odufeso Organized E-learning classes for Junior and Senior Secondary Schools where students in vulnerable communities and cities across the state benefited. They were assessed and the best students awarded with Certificates, Cash Prize and Writing Materials. He facilitates Free JAMB Computer Based Test (CBT) Training to Prospective Candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions. Mr. Tajudeen Odufeso is an exceptional educator, influencer, Collaborator, and advocate to Education."
Saeeda Salim, School of International Studies in Sciences & Arts (SISA) – Pakistan
Regional winner for Pakistan
"With a teaching career spanning over 4 decades she has trained over 500 teachers, taught countless students, and worked selflessly for the cause of education. She is an ambassador for "every child matters". She pioneered co-curricular activities like public speaking and theatre among students for whom English was a second or third language but they went on to represent Pakistan at World Debate Championships and won! When it came to students who had financial constraints, she stepped in and funded their education, books, uniforms and travel expenses. When she took students “under her wings” she stood by them even after they graduated from school – if they needed help with their studies at university she was and is always there for them. Her passion for teaching is inspiring. She believes 'you cannot run a school from the office. Students are in the classroom and that’s where I want to be!'"
Marisa Medvetz Santos, Seminole Ridge Community High School, Florida – United States of America
Regional winner for North America
"Mrs. Santos has been a dedicated AICE English language teacher since 2015. During Covid-19, not only was she, like many teachers, forced to adapt and find ways to reach students electronically, but being a resident of Florida in the USA, she was one of the first educators sent back into classrooms. She was pregnant at the time, and struggling through a high-risk pregnancy in the midst of a pandemic. Even so, she went above and beyond for her students in hybrid learning. She spent time out of the classroom making engaging instructional videos to reach students learning from home, and she kept the energy and excitement alive for students in the classroom. Each year, students hope to be placed in her class because they know they will get the instruction and support to be successful on their AICE exam and beyond."
Out of nearly 15 000 nominations from 141 countries, our judges named the following teachers as your regional winners. Now you can vote who you would like to be crowned the global winner of the 2024 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards.