Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, presented Maggie MacDonnell with the award on the final day of the Global Education and Skills Forum. Martin Dokoupil / AP Photo
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, presented Maggie MacDonnell with the award on the final day of the Global Education and Skills Forum. Martin Dokoupil / AP Photo

Canadian teacher wins US$1 million annual education prize



DUBAI // A Canadian teacher has been awarded US$1 million (Dh3.67m) for her work with indigenous communities at a ceremony in Dubai.

Maggie MacDonnell, from Ikusik School in Salluit, northern Quebec, was given the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for her role in improving school attendance rates and girls’ registration at the school, located in the Inuit region of Nunavik.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, presented Ms MacDonnell with the award on the final day of the Global Education and Skills Forum at the Atlantis, The Palm hotel.

“I would like to invite my students to share this award, as I have won this not for them but with them,” Ms MacDonnell said.

Ms MacDonnell has taught in the Canadian Arctic for six years. Winter temperatures are as low as -25ºC and schools in remote areas there face high rates of teacher turnover, as well as drug abuse, self-harm and teenage pregnancy among pupils.

Aiming to turn the problems into solutions, Ms MacDonnell created a life-skills programme for girls that helped the school achieve 500 per cent improvement in girls registration. She dramatically improved attendance rates by getting pupils involved in running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and hiking through national parks.

She has also been a temporary foster parent to children in the area, including some of her own pupils.

In a video message broadcast at the ceremony, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Ms MacDonnell “on behalf of all Canadians, from one teacher to another”.

“You chose to teach at the Ikusik school in Salluit, a remote village in the Canadian Arctic. There are no roads to Salluit – it is only accessible by air and it gets cold, really cold,” he said.

“I would like to say thank you to every teacher out there. Teachers owe responsibilities to many people – to students, to parents, to the community and the school board.

“But in the end, as all great teachers know, they are ultimately responsible to something far greater. They are responsible to the future and for the world that will be shaped by the children they teach

The Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognise an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation and of GEMS Education, said he hoped Ms MacDonnell’s story “will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day.”

newsdesk@thenational.ae

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.