GUNTUR: Gaining international recognition, Harikrishna Patcharu, an English teacher at Ilavaram Zilla Parishad High School became the first teacher from Telugu states to be shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize announced by the famous Varkey Foundation in coordination with UNESCO.
With his initiatives to make students proficient in the English language, Hariskrishna’s children-centric education system has garnered recognition Pen Pal programme and created an environment for the school students to interact with international students from over 300 schools in the US, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, France, Poland, Tunisia, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Chile and Turkey.
He was also selected for the Fulbright exchange programme, an opportunity to visit various schools in the US. With his efforts, out of 8,000 applicants across the globe, Harikrishna was among the 50 finalists who made an outstanding contribution to their profession.
The Global Teacher Prize serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated. “I did not expect even in my wildest dreams that I would be shortlisted for the top 50 finalists,” said Harikrishna. Among these 50 finalists, one person will be selected for the Global Teacher Prize and an award of US $1 million will be presented to the winner.