On September 28, the list of winners of the fifth edition of the "Yidan Award", an education award for the world, was announced. After a rigorous selection by the judging panel, the two educators were awarded the 2021 award for their achievements in improving the quality of education and learning outcomes.
Among them, Eric A. Hanushek of Stanford University won the prize for his in-depth study of the linkages between education policy and the country's economy. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of the Pratham Education Foundation, received the award for helping children in developing countries develop literacy skills.
Photo / "Yidan Award" medal
Dr Koichiro Matsuura, Chairman of the Jury of the Yidan Prize and former Director-General of UNESCO, said: "Every year we recognize individuals or teams that come up with disruptive ideas in the fields of educational research and practice. They are shaping a better future by transforming the way we teach and learn. From the overall quality and diversity of the candidates for the 2021 Yidan Prize, it can be seen that all walks of life around the world are actively exploring new educational methods. This year's nominee's education programs have benefited more than 130 countries and territories. They have rethought deeply and comprehensively around the education system, focusing on solving educational inequalities and supporting learners. ”
In addition, the judging panel welcomed five new judging members in 2021. The addition of Professor Zhang Minxuan, Head of the UNESCO Centre for Teacher Education and Dean of the Institute of International and Comparative Education at Shanghai Normal University, and others has enhanced broad representation and coverage of diversity in the field of education.
Through research on the economics of education, Professor Hanusek, who won the 2021 Education Research Award, showed that what is positively related to a country's economic growth rate is the quality of education and the level of students' cognitive skills in the country, not the number of years of education. His research has helped to push international organizations such as the United Nations to set sustainable development goals for education while focusing on factors such as the quality of learning based on educational opportunities.
Andreas Schleicher, Chair of the Awards Judging Panel and Director of Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said: "Professor Hanusek has designed a better and fairer teacher performance evaluation system with the help of rigorous economic analysis, and the research has found the correlation between long-term economic growth and social progress and better learning outcomes, which has inspired a series of education policies. ”
Another laureate, Dr. Rucmini Banaghi, and his team pioneered an assessment methodology that could identify gaps between literacy and arithmetic skills among school children. To close the learning gap, Dr. Banaji and his team worked with local communities and schools to teach children basic literacy and arithmetic skills so that children would not be left behind in their studies. This unique project model is well-organized, highly scalable, benefits millions of children every year, and is currently being widely promoted in some less developed regions of the world.
In response, Dorothy K. Gordon, Chair of the judging panel and Director of UNESCO's Institute for Applied Information Technology in Education, said: "Dr Bannaghi and the Brahan Foundation have a clear mission – to make every child 'able to go to school and go to school'. This reminds us not only to open the door to education for everyone, but also to bear in mind the importance of the quality of education. To achieve this goal, the measures taken have greatly improved the learning outcomes of students, which are both cost-effective and highly generalized, resulting in breakthroughs in educational innovation. ”
It is reported that the 2021 "Yidan Award" award ceremony and summit will be held in early December 2021. Nominations for the 2022 Yidan Awards will be open on October 19, 2021 and will be closed until the end of March 2022.
Source: Thoughtful