Onome Amuge
A Nigerian public-school teacher has been named among the world’s top 10 educators, showcasing how low-cost innovation and improved learning outcomes in under-resourced classrooms are drawing global recognition at a time of heightened scrutiny on education systems.
Adeola Olufunke Akinsulure, a Biology teacher at Omole Senior Grammar School in Ikeja, Lagos, has been shortlisted for the 2026 GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, a $1 million award run by the Varkey Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She was selected from more than 5,000 nominations and applications spanning 139 countries.
Now in its 10th year, the Global Teacher Prize is the largest monetary award dedicated to a single teacher. It aims to recognise exceptional classroom practice while elevating the role of teachers in economic development, social mobility and long-term human capital formation.
Akinsulure teaches in a state-run secondary school serving predominantly low-income households, where overcrowded classrooms, limited funding and unstable electricity supply remain daily constraints. Her recognition underscores the growing global focus on outcomes-driven education reform rather than spending alone, particularly in emerging economies with fast-growing youth populations.
“I struggled with science myself as a student,” Akinsulure said previously, describing how that experience shaped her determination to make science accessible. “I wanted students who believed science was not for them to see that it could be creative, practical and empowering,” she added.
Her approach, known as the SOAR+T model, blends edutainment, gamified assessment, low-cost digital tools and real-world problem solving. Music, role play and interactive exercises are used to reinforce complex biology concepts, while technology is deployed sparingly to offset infrastructure gaps.
The results have been striking. Pass rates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) biology exams rose to between 95 per cent and 99 per cent, including a jump from 45.3 per cent to 99 per cent in a single year. The school has since been recognised as the best in its district and among the top 50 schools in west Africa.
Beyond examination performance, Akinsulure has focused on widening access to science and technology skills, particularly for girls. She founded the Environmental Bees Club and the REACHHer Hub, which run projects in robotics, artificial intelligence, waste-to-wealth initiatives and menstrual health education. The programmes have reached more than 500 girls across 106 schools.
She has also trained more than 30,000 teachers nationwide in creative, low-cost teaching methods, extending her impact well beyond her own classroom and aligning with policy efforts to scale teacher quality rather than rely solely on new infrastructure.
Sunny Varkey, founder of GEMS Education and the Varkey Foundation, said the recognition reflected the societal impact of teaching. “Your work extends far beyond the classroom. It touches lives, shapes communities, and helps define our shared future,” he said in a statement congratulating Akinsulure.
Unesco officials recognised the award within wider global challenges. Stefania Giannini, the organisation’s assistant director-general for education, said teacher shortages, rapid technological change and climate pressures were converging on education systems worldwide. “We cannot rise to this moment unless we invest in teachers,” she said.
The other finalists include educators from Italy, Spain, Australia, Poland, Argentina, the US, Colombia and India, reflecting the prize’s global reach. The top 10 will convene in Dubai next month for SPARK.Dubai 2026, a conference focused on the role of schools in economic and social transformation, before the overall winner is announced at the World Governments Summit in February.
