S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Brazilian teacher Diego Mahfouz Faria Lima is one of ten finalists for the Global Teacher Prize, an annual award regarded as the \u201cNobel Prize\u201d of education. Granted by the Varkey Foundation, a United Kingdom charity sponsored by UAE prime minister and vice president and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the award entails a USD 1 million cash prize to the winner, to be announced in Dubai on March 18.<\/p>\n
Faria Lima has been nominated for his work at Darcy Ribeiro Municipal School, in S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 do Rio Preto, S\u00e3o Paulo, where he has become the principal. Formerly plagued with vandalism, high dropout levels, quarrels at the gates and drug dealing, the school evolved into a regionwide reference, and dropout rates are virtually zero, through actions which, according to the principal, are designed to \u201cgive students a voice and give them center stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school began to open during the weekends to offer the students classes of classical music and other activities. The professor abolished the warnings and suspensions and began to increasingly promote dialogue.<\/p>\n
Faria Lima highlighted that conflict mediation committee was established, where the fights, which used to take place at the gates of Darcy Ribeiro, were solved before turning into violence. \u201cThe students themselves began to identify situations such as conflicts and bullying and to call the involved parties for talks,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Another Brazilian, Rubens Ferronato, from Paran\u00e1, was among the top 50 of the award this year. He didn\u2019t make the top 10, but he will be at the award ceremony in Dubai.<\/p>\n
Watch below a video by the Varkey Foundation that portrays the story of Faria Lima and the Darcy Ribeiro school:<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum & S\u00e9rgio Kakitani<\/strong><\/p>\n