Watch: Indian teacher wins $1 million global prize, gives half away

Ranjitsinh Disale, a teacher at a government school in Paritewadi, Maharashtra, has won the 2020 Global Teacher Prize.

But Ranjitsinh Disale has already given away half of the $1 million (Over Rs 7.37 crore) – sharing it with runners-up in the competition.

The announcement was made on Thursday in a virtual ceremony hosted by British actor Stephen Fry from the Natural History Museum in London.

Ranjitsinh Disale was one of ten finalists nominated, and he was recognized for his efforts at promoting girls’ education and triggering a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India. In his winning speech, he announced that he intends to share half of the prize money with the remaining nine teachers from the Global Teacher Prize 2020 finalists. 

Disale has previously won the 2016 Innovative Researcher of the Year, and the 2018 National Innovation Foundation’s Innovator of the Year award. His success story was also mentioned by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in his book Hit Refresh.

“In this hard time, teachers are giving their best to make sure every student has access to their birthright of a good education,” said Disale, aged 32.