Applications call for Commonwealth Education Awards 2021 for Good Practice. Education institutions, teachers, and school leaders can now submit entries for the 2021 Commonwealth education awards for good practice.

Objectives

The Commonwealth Education Awards aims to

• Identify and draw attention to innovative, inspiring, as well as good practices in education and learning that are replicable in different Commonwealth contexts.
• Acknowledge, encourage, motivate, reward, and generate enthusiasm within the education sector.
• Recognize the outstanding work and achievements of education professionals that have improved the well-being of learners.
• Highlight initiatives that remove barriers, facilitate access to quality education and learning for all, and also build resilience, especially for disadvantaged groups.
• Create an environment that will encourage and sustain investments in education and learning.

Categories

Exceptional educators and organizations leading cutting-edge learning and teaching projects can enter as many as six categories:

• Rethinking education for innovation
• Rethinking education for work
• Rethinking education sustainability
• Education as pathways to peace
• Education for inclusion
• Commonwealth outstanding teacher or school leader

Judging Criteria

• Relevance to the local context
• Measurable impact
• Sustainability and innovation
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Community involvement
• Ability to be replicated.

Benefits

A Pan-Commonwealth panel will judge the entries. Moreover, two winners for an outstanding educator and an innovative project will be shortlisted across the six categories. In addition to that, the two top winners will be invited to Kenya in 2021 to receive their awards and showcase their work at the Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers. Their work will be profiled across the Commonwealth.

Eligibilities 

Educators must be Commonwealth citizens and projects must be running in at least one of the 54 member countries. In order to be eligible Commonwealth Education Awards, candidates must be

• A teacher or school leader who has shown outstanding leadership or contribution to improving teaching and learning; and
• Similarly, a public or private organization, including ministries, education bodies, and non-profits, whose learning project has made a positive impact on learners. The project must be running for at least 12 months.

Who can enter?

• Any organization, whether public or private, including Commonwealth ministries of education, educational institutions, and civil society organizations delivering an education or learning project in a Commonwealth country can nominate the project.
• Before nominating the project, secure permission from an appropriate senior manager. A submission must be a project that has made a positive difference to learners, whether children, young people or adults, or to the education system of a Commonwealth member country in respect of one or more of the six project categories for 2021. The project must have been running for more than 12 months.
• A teacher or school leader who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership to improve education and learning. You can also nominate others for awards. However, please check with the nominee beforehand that they are happy to have their name put forward. The nominee must be a Commonwealth citizen and exercising her/his profession in a Commonwealth member country.

Send in your entry for the 2021 Commonwealth Education Awards now.