Dubai: GEMS Legacy School, a private K-12 school in Dubai, UAE, has been named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action while Shining Star International School, an independent institution in Abu Dhabi, UAE, has been named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation.
The five World’s Best School Prizes, founded by T4 Education in partnership with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, Templeton World Charity Foundation, and the Lemann Foundation, celebrate schools everywhere for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and for their enormous contribution to society’s progress especially in the wake of COVID.
Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said: “With over 1.5 billion learners impacted by school and university closures, COVID-19 has greatly exacerbated a global education crisis in which, even before the pandemic, the UN warned progress was already too slow to achieve universal quality education by 2030. We have launched the World’s Best School Prizes as a grassroots solution to help build the systemic change needed. By telling the stories of inspirational schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities, schools can share their best practices and have their voices heard at the top table to help transform education. I want to congratulate GEMS Legacy School and Shining Star International School for making the Top 10 shortlists for the inaugural World’s Best School Prizes. Educators all over the world will now be able to learn from the examples of these outstanding UAE schools.”
Peter Lacy, Global Sustainability Services Lead and Chief Responsibility Officer at Accenture, said: “Accenture is proud to partner with T4 Education on the World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action, which celebrates schools’ incredible efforts to empower the next generation to harness new technologies and innovative practices that tackle the global sustainability issues that impact us all. Through this prize, we aim to recognise the tools and techniques nurtured by schools and share them with a broad audience, enabling others to replicate their work and multiply the impact at speed and scale.”
Madge Thomas, Head of Corporate Sustainability at American Express, said: “We are pleased to recognise students and educators who are taking action to protect the environment and their futures. As we at American Express work to advance climate solutions, we will continue to support programs and partnerships like this one to help build more climate resilient and equitable communities.”
