Mumbai, Dec. Dec 7 Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that with the help of the Global Teacher Prize laureate Ranjitsinh Disale, the state would create a topnotch academic infrastructure for the students, here on Monday.
Felicitating the Solapur Zilla Parishad school-teachers Disale, 31, along with his father Mahadev and mother Parvati, Thackeray said that the state government will bring together academics with innovative initiatives or experiments in the field of education.
"We shall prepare a roadmap with the help of all such teachers which will enable the students get world-class education, especially in government and municipal schools," Thackeray said.
Expressing pride at Disale's global achievement, the CM said this shows his "passion in the field of education" and urged the Education Departments to work more closely with such techno-savvy and innovative-minded teachers especially since the virtual classrooms are being implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, including in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation schools.
"He not only got the top global award (of Rs.7.40 crore) for his excellent work in the field of education, but even distributed half the prize money among the other nine shortlisted contestants" said Thackeray, lauding the work of the teachers as a heroic example.
On Dec. 3, Disale was named the winner of the UNESCO-Varkey Foundation's "Global Teacher Prize" award - the first-ever by an Indian.
In a gesture that wowed the global academic fraternity and the organisers, Disale announced he would share half the prize money with the other nine teachers.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that Disale has emerged as the 'Global Face of Zilla Parishad Schoolteachers', and the award proved that the education imparted in the government schools is excellent.
"The QR Code textbooks created by him are now being used by more than one crore children in the state and also being implemented in schools around the world also. The School Education Department must use this to make learning more enjoyable and enlightening for the school students," urged Pawar.
Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the ZP Schools are imparting world-class education and teachers like Disale have played an important role in achieving this.
"Many people in the past who have become IAS officers or other high-ranking officials had studied in ZP or government schools, and one day, the students of the so-called international school will return to government schools.
Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that Disale made the state proud and world-famous due to his feat and now government schools are seen as competing with English-medium schools.
Shiv Sena Ministers Eknath Shinde, Anil Parab, Aditya Thackeray, Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, School Education Secretary Vandana Krishna, Principal Advisor to CM Ajoy Mehta, Additional Chief Secretary CM Ashish Kumar Singh and Principal Secretary to CM Vikas Kharge, besides other top officials were present.
Disale, who has a 11-year teaching experience in government schools said: "I will try my best to create a more technically-friendly and creative teachers from various ZP schools for the students."
Incidentally, Disale beat 12,000 teachers nominated from around 140 countries to bag the top GTP award, and has earned laurels from top personalities including the Dalai Lama.
( With inputs from IANS )
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