THE Spark Soweto School has been named in the Top 3 finalist for $250,000 World’s Best School Prizes 2023.
This was revealed by the T4 Education on Tuesday.
SPARK Soweto, an independent, partially government-funded kindergarten and primary school in South Africa, has become a catalyst for change for its disadvantaged community that was once symbolic of the struggle against Apartheid.
The five World’s Best School Prizes, founded last year by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, and the Lemann Foundation, are the world’s most prestigious education prizes.
The five World’s Best School Prizes – for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives – celebrate schools everywhere for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and for their enormous contribution to society’s progress, especially in the wake of COVID.
The Prizes were established to share the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities.
This is good news for SA having been ranked one of the lowest in terms of learners failing to write proficiently in their own mother tongue, or reading for understanding amongst others.
The winners of the five Prizes will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy based on rigorous criteria.
The winner of the Community Choice Award will receive membership to T4 Education’s new Best School to Work programme, an independent, evidence-based mechanism to certify schools for their culture and help them transform their working environment to attract and retain the best teachers.
School Principal Nyambeni Nthambeleni says the news have been welcomed by all at school and the entire community who are behind the success of ‘our learners’.
“This shows the hardwork my team has put in making sure we work harder, and the nomination, speaks volume in that the school’s reputation will be elevated to higher standards, especially being a Soweto school. We work hard and defying the odds,” quipped the excited Principal, during interview with eNCA.
Proud of everyone involved in making this institution the best and now we’re competing with the best globally, she continued, and asked for public voting in SA to rally behind the school.
Voting is now open and everyone is entitled to cast vote as many as possible.
In addition, T4 Education has launched a new Community Choice Award this year – open to the 15 schools that make up the Top 3 finalists across all five World’s Best School Prizes – and given to the one school that inspires the most support in a Public Vote, which has opened for voting.
Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said: “Congratulations to SPARK Soweto on being named a Top 3 finalist for the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration 2023.
You, and your fellow finalists, have inspired me with the leadership, vision and culture you have fostered and for the exceptional teaching and learning environment you have built. “As the world seeks to tackle a deepening education crisis, this outstanding South African school lights the path to a better future. It’s time for governments everywhere to listen to your voice and learn from your expertise.”
The winner of each of the five World’s Best School Prizes will be announced in November.
The winner of each Prize will be chosen based on rigorous criteria by a Judging Academy comprising distinguished leaders across the globe including academics, educators, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, government, civil society, and the private sector.
A prize of US$250,000 will be equally shared among the winners of the five Prizes, with each receiving an award of US$50,000.
The winner of the new Community Choice Award – chosen by a Public Vote – will be announced at the same time.
The Community Choice Award may be given to any Top 3 finalist who receives the most public votes, irrespective of whether they win one of the five World’s Best School Prizes.
All the Top 3 finalists will share their best practices through School Transformation Toolkits and events on the T4 Communities app.
