GEMS Education celebrated 44 outstanding educators in the 2nd yearly Mariamma Varkey Award for Inspiring and Outstanding Training at GEMS. Coinciding with the International World Educators Day on October 5, this year five of these GEMS teachers were recognised with best teacher honors in various classifications.

A highlight of the event was the 'Unique Education Educating' award which recognised the extraordinary work done by an instructor to incorporate and encourage children with unique requirements into mainstream education.

Dino Varkey, Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, claimed: "The future of the UAE is currently forming inside the classrooms, through the work of our educators. They are greater than just instructors, they are coaches and heroes to their trainees. Teachers encourage students, they instil the worths and ethics required for our children to be the leaders of tomorrow. With these awards, we seek to recognize the efforts and achievements of our teachers at every section of the school.

" The Mariamma Varkey Award is really unique and near to our hearts as it is a direct representation of the high standards my grandma established when she established GEMS Education's very first school in Dubai."

Already identified with the GEMS Educator of the Month honors at their particular institutions, the Finalists were broadly categorized under five categories-- 'Many Inspiring Instructor', 'Very early Years Showing', 'Key Years Showing', 'Secondary Years Instructing' and 'Unique Education Teaching'.

Sharon Robertson from GEMS Wellington Primary School won the award for 'Early Years Educating' while Anthony Riley from GEMS Royal Dubai School received the award in the 'Primary Years Teaching' classification. Neez Hashim from Our Own English High School, Fujairah was honoured for 'Additional Years Teaching' while Suzie Hachez from Cambridge International School - Dubai took house the 'Special Education Teaching' award. Each of these winners were provided AED88,080 (US$ 24,000) as prize money along with a citation.

It was Heather Massaqoi from Bradenton Prep Academy that was stated the champion of the 'Many Motivational Teacher' award this year and received a prize money of AED220,200 (US$ 60,000).

Heather has actually been with Bradenton Prep Academy for the last 5 years, and she is currently Head of Music at the school. She was acknowledged for being a motivational role model for students and peers and for her phenomenal teaching & understanding activities, mindset and worths.

The Mariamma Varkey Award is an additional award planned to beam the limelight on the teaching occupation and is Sunny Varkey's means to help to restore pride to the career that he wishes young people will desire come to be a part of.

Various other honors GEMS or the Varkey Structure are involved in include, the GEMS Educator of the Month award which happens at every GEMS school in the UAE, the AED1 million Emirates Innovative Teacher Award, a campaign arranged in partnership between the UAE Ministry of Education and GEMS Education, and the US$ 1 million Global Instructor Reward, established and managed by the Varkey Foundation, and sustained by GEMS Education.

The educators were nominated based on details standards-- the ability to design and implement inclusive mentor and understanding strategies; using modern knowledge and understanding of curriculum; the capability to preserve high ethical standards and workout noise reasoning; and the capability to determine, launch and build on opportunities to engage parents/carers in the development of their children's learning.