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How best teacher's life changed after award

Abu Dhabi - The award aims at empowering teachers in the Arab region and to become forward-thinkers.

A teacher, who recently won Dh1 million after she was deemed to be the best in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has said that the award motivated her to nurture students' talents further. Laila Obaid Salem Mutawa Al Yamahi, an Arabic teacher in Fujairah, won the second edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Award for best teacher in the GCC in October this year.
"It is almost two months now since I received the award for the best teacher in GCC but I am still very excited," said Al Yamahi. "The award has significantly changed my life and I am a popular teacher now unlike before. I am more passionate about teaching and promoting students' skills now than before."
The teacher from Murbeh Secondary School was speaking to Khaleej Times on Monday after the award's organisers announced that eight teachers would be awarded Dh1 million each next year. Previously, the total prize money for the award was Dh6 million - Dh1 million each for six teachers.
The award aims at empowering teachers in the Arab region and to become forward-thinkers. Teachers are evaluated for their educational projects that have substantial impact on the students' learning.
According to officials, the five main criteria to be considered for the award are:
Innovation and creativity, professional leadership, excellence in achievement, sustainable development and learning and positive citizenship and national loyalty.
Applications for the award will close in March 2020. Those interested can self-nominate on the website: https://www.mbzaward.ae/en.
Al Yamahi had developed and implemented 20 integrated plans, and completed more than 45 detailed ones over the past five years. Each plan entailed preparing a resource room for talents and a book club. Al Yamahi also developed a comprehensive strategy to nurture talent in terms of preparing and executing programmes and events at her school. A student she supervised went on to become the Arab Reading Champion in the UAE and third overall.
She also has seven educational, procedural and specialised researches to her name.
ismail@khaeejtimes.com