Ranjitsinh Disale, an elementary teacher from Maharashtra’s Solapur, who achieved the USD 1-million Global Teacher Prize 2020, explained that teaching was all about providing an enhanced that he would like to work for pupils “across the borders” as he understood that the world was his classroom. He also told that he would like to dispense 20 per cent of his prize money for his “Let’s Cross the Borders” project that aims to build consensus among student and youth from the conflict-torn countries such as India, Pakistan, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
Mr Disale, 32, who helps as a teacher at the Zilla Parishad elementary School at Paritewadi in Solapur, was on Thursday nominated the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2020 in tribute of his endeavours to encourage girls’ education and activate a quick-response (QR) coded textbook upheaval in India.
After gaining a victory, he had declared that he would share 50 per cent of the prize money equally among his youth finalists. Talking to a Marathi channTeachingel, Mr Disale said: “A teacher often shares his knowledge, understandings with students. I earned the prize for the job I did for the teachers, pupils and the area of education.”
“So if I share 50 per cent of the prize money with other runner-up teachers, it would help them do what they desire to do in their countries,” he said in response to a query about why he decided to share the prize money. “Of course, I want to work for the students in India. But at the same time, I would like to work for the students across the borders as I believe that the world is my classroom,” he added.
Mr Disale announced he likes to allot 30 per cent of the prize wealth towards “teachers’ innovation fund” that he schedules to set up. “There are several teacTeachinghers in the country, who possess innovative ideas to transform education and I think that fund can be used for such talent,” he added.
Mr Disale realizes that he is a teacher from the 20th century and the learners are from the 21st century. “So it is like pupils from the 21st century are being taught by a teacher from the 20th century with the 19th-century curriculum using techniques of the 18th century. This is the gap that we need to bridge and I think technology is the main enabler in this,” he added.
