RIYADH — Pearson Middle East, announced the winners of its Inaugural 2019 Pearson Teacher Awards at a gala event at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh last Nov. 7 to recognize the outstanding contribution of inspirational teachers, teaching teams and school leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Four inspirational educators and one outstanding teaching team from across the country were honored with a Pearson Teacher Award for their exemplary commitment and excellence in teaching and school leadership.

Richard Oppenheim, Deputy UK ambassador to the KSA, Amanda Ingram, Deputy Director of the British Council in the KSA, Keshav Sreedharan, Director of Examinations for the British Council in the KSA, Kuwait and Bahrain and Brendan Law, Director General − Misk School graced the ceremony with their presence. More than 100 delegates, teaching professionals, dignitaries and government officials attended the event.

With more than 350 nominations, the 2019 Pearson Teachers Awards marks its first year of celebrating excellence in education, awarding local educators across the Kingdom who through their commitment and dedication, have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students and deserve international recognition for their achievements.

It also supports the Vision 2030’s goal of investing in education and training so that students in the Kingdom may enjoy high-quality and multi-faceted schooling. The awards received an overwhelming response and nominations from all across the Kingdom.

Emma Whale, Vice President - Schools, Pearson Middle East congratulated the 20 finalists and the winners who have been chosen from an impressive 350 entries. “The awards not only focus a spotlight on the impact of some amazing individual teachers but also the whole school environment that supports the development of such innovative practices to improve outcomes for students. It’s so important that we publicly recognize the excellent work done by educators across the Kingdom every day to ensure our young people flourish.

I want to take this opportunity to give my personal thanks to each one of more than 500,000 teachers in the country who are inspiring the next generation to be the best that they can be. And of course, my heartfelt congratulations to our five winners for their outstanding achievement,” added Whale.

This year’s full list of Pearson Teacher Awards winners:

• School Principal of the Year Award – Stephen Viner, British International School of Al Khobar

• Arabic Teacher of the Year Award – Aiman Haj Hamdan, Jeddah Private International School

• English Teacher of the Year Award – Halah Redwan Ismail Harara, Dawhat Al Jazeerah School

• Maths Teacher of the Year Award – Ghassan Itani, King Abdulaziz School

• Science Teaching Team of the Year – Alyaa Mahmoud, Rasha Mostafa, Reham Elshamy, Sarah Samir and Walaa Ahmed, Al-Amjad International School

This year's Awards saw a growing diversity of successful institutions from the Kingdom, indicating that excellence is no longer the sole domain of a small group of institutions or faculty.

Aiman Haj Hamdan, Arabic Teacher at Jeddah Private International School and the winner of the Pearson Arabic Teacher of the Year Award said, “I have been teaching Arabic for the last 12 years and I am grateful to be recognized for the work completed. Rewarding teachers is a very important aspect of professional development and helps to encourage the most talented and committed young generation to become teachers.”

Halah Redwan Ismail Harara at Dawhat Al Jazeerah School and the winner of the Pearson English Teacher of the Year Award, said “I am delighted and honored by this award. I have enjoyed promoting active learning experiences for students, much of which wouldn’t have been possible without the inspirational and enthusiastic inputs of my own students. I am looking forward to building on these achievements.” — SG