Vietnamese ethnic minority teacher listed among 10 finalists for Global Teacher Prize 2020

The annually organized prize recognizes outstanding teaching contributions by teachers around the world. 

Earlier, on March 19, the Varkey Foundation announced the list of 50 finalists for the prize, chosen from over 10,000 candidates. 

According to the Varkey Foundation, Huong Can High School has more than 90% ethnic minority students aged 15 to 18. “In this remote, mountainous high school in the north of Vietnam, students have little chance to practice English with foreigners. In many cases this leads to low language competence, shyness, poor intercultural awareness, and lack of interest,” the website of the foundation revealed.

It adds that Ha Anh Phuong has helped her students meet this challenge through technology: employing the “borderless classroom model”, she connects her students with other schools worldwide via Skype. Some of her innovations have significantly improved student outcomes and are clearly seen in their national exam results. Last school year, all of her students who were previously low-achieving in English Language passed the final exam (100%). 

Well known as the “4.0 innovative teacher” in Vietnam, she has now taught students online from four continents (Africa, Europe, Asia and America), and is an active member of an educational Microsoft community that gathers global teachers to design lessons and engage in weekly professional development. Her work has been covered extensively by the Vietnamese national media, and in 2019, she was awarded the Innovative and Creative Teacher prize by Vietnam’s Department of Education and Training./.