A Palestinian primary school teacher who grew up in a refugee camp won a $1 million prize for teaching excellence on Sunday, beating out 8,000 other applicants from around the world.
Hanan al-Hroub, who teaches in the West Bank city of al-Bireh just outside Ramallah, was awarded the second annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on-hand to present the prize to al-Hroub, however her name was announced by Pope Francis in a video message after he talked about the importance of education and teachers, especially for children who grow up amid war.
al-Hroub said she will use the million-dollar prize money to create scholarships for students who want to go into teaching.
