Varkey Foundation has announced its support to the Dubai Awqaf & Endowment vision announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, through the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy (MBRGCEC), to meet the Arab world’s educational needs.
The Varkey Foundation will build on its existing programmes to strengthen the teaching profession through a ‘Quality Education’ endowment which will include the prestigious Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF), the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize and the AED1 million Emirates Innovative Teacher Award, which is sponsored by Sunny Varkey’s GEMS Education, to further build on the capacity of teachers in the Arab world.
In addition, the Varkey Foundation Challenge Fund which was announced at GESF last month, will support a small number of early-stage educational initiatives in their endeavours including a project that helps displaced Syrian refugee children receive an education.
Sunny Varkey, Founder & Trustee of Varkey Foundation, said: “It is a great honour to join the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy, an initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, and pledge our support to transform Awqaf and Endowments into one of the most prominent incentives for development in the entire world.
“The Varkey Foundation is dedicated to creating a legacy through philanthropy -together with the MBRGCEC, we can make a great difference. In order to confront prejudices, intolerances, conflicts and unprecedented environmental challenges, we need to join forces to improve access to quality education worldwide. The announcement of the global Awqaf and Endowment initiative by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has offered a strong platform for the private sector to support the education fraternity effectively.
“We hope our work with the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy will continue to highlight the role of the teacher, and celebrate, reward and respect them and also help support programmes in need through this new ‘Quality Education’ endowment,” added Sunny Varkey.
The Varkey Foundation has prominently advocated the teacher training agenda on a global level by gathering educators, policy makers, heads of states, academicians, celebrities and leaders from the public, private and social sectors seeking solutions to achieving education, equity and employment for all. Through advocacy forums like the GESF, Global Teacher Prize, and the Emirates Innovative Teacher Award which is celebrated at the World Government Summit, the foundation hopes to inspire good students to take up teaching as a profession.
This year GESF featured intense debates on reconciling the relevance, excellence and inclusiveness of both public and private learning environments – a debate that could greatly benefit quality education in the Arab world.
Dr. Hamad Al Hammadi, Secretary General of Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy, said: “The Varkey Foundation has successfully raised the profile of the teacher on an international level through its various initiatives. We are delighted that the foundation is supporting the ‘Quality Education’ endowment by pledging its resources annually to improving the status of the teaching profession.
“One of the four strategic themes of the MBRGCEC is that Dubai becomes a source of global best practices for Awqaf and Endowments. Through the support of Varkey Foundation which has demonstrated its expertise in taking local learnings to global best practices, we are confident that the ‘Quality Education’ endowment will see optimal use to cater to the most pressing educational needs of the region.”
The foundation has already engaged with a number of initiatives to advocate teacher training. The Instructional Leadership Programme in Uganda has seen the development of head teachers and teaching staff to improve student outcomes while Making Ghanaian Girls Great! (MGCubed) is Ghana’s first interactive distance-learning project which uses cutting edge technology and multimedia content to deliver quality teaching to thousands of students in deprived schools in Ghana.
Another global advocacy campaign by the foundation is to encourage the private sector to get behind education which is under-represented as a cause among private companies.
About Varkey Foundation
The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. They support global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. They also founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world. For further details: https://www.varkeyfoundation.org