An individual’s indomitable efforts, in the face of the most severe odds, to keep the flame of education burning deservedly got their due with Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub winning the $1 million (Dh3.67 million) Global Teacher Prize in Dubai. The prize is a recognition of one of the most seminal forces that shape and dignify civilisation — teaching. Without this privilege, humanity would be ill-placed to be able to cope with the constant challenges coming our way. And for teaching to be effective, it requires a teacher to lend the process its fullest manifestation. Al Hroub’s journey of teaching in Ramallah, where life is a daily struggle against Israeli occupation and leaves every Palestinian child at risk of being excluded from the most precious of all gifts in life — education — is all the more edifying given the circumstances under which she has chosen to make a difference.
Growing up in a refugee camp in Bethlehem and witnessing violence on a daily basis encouraged Al Hroub to turn the disadvantage into a template for achievement; for herself when she decided to become a beacon of hope for others, and also for the children she is nurturing to become future builders of peace. In doing so, Al Hroub is upholding one of the inviolate principles of teaching and thus carrying on the hallowed traditions of a true teacher.
In a world that is becoming disturbingly unstable with violence, intolerance and short-sightedness, where children are increasingly at the mercy of human failure, to be granted their fundamental right to education, the efforts of teachers like Al Hroub are the bulwarks that will protect our societies from prejudicial implosions and prepare future generations to rise up and make a difference.
