Pakistani teacher Riffat Arif aka Sister Zeph, single handedly built the school for underprivileged children in the courtyard of her home in Gujranwala. She’s been awarded with the Global Teacher Prize 2023, as reported by media.
“We are delighted to announce that Sister Zeph, an English, Urdu, culture, inter-faith harmony, climate change teacher at Gujranwala, Punjab in Pakistan, has been named the winner of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023,” Dubai Cares, UNESCO and a UAE-based global philanthropic organisation, who jointly organised the award, said in an official statement.
Zeph was just 13 when she came up with an idea of having a school for students whose parents were not in a position to pay their fee, the reports said, adding that Zeph was selected from over 7,000 nominations and applications from 130 countries around the world.
A ceremony was organized at UNESCO's General Conference in Paris.
Zeph was congratulated by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on getting the prestigious award, they said.
“We all remember a teacher who has had an impact on our life and changed our future. It may sound like a truism but it's true: teachers are life-changers. Congrats to Sister Zeph from Pakistan, 2023 Global Teachers Prize Winner. Thanks to her for her commitment as a life-changer!” the UNESCO official wrote on X.
Zeph, according to the reports, worked hard to fund the school. She taught students after her work hours and then stayed up at night for self-study.
Now, after 26 years, the school is housed in a brand new building and provides free education for more than 200 underprivileged children.
She plans to build one more school on a 10-acres plot of land where children from the poorest families in the country can be educated without discrimination, the reports said.