ReachingU Award 2023, Uruguay

Jimena Pírez is the winner of the ReachingU Award for Uruguayan Teachers 2023.

Jimena is a Biology and Sex Education teacher from the rural Masoller High School in the department of Rivera.  She received recognition for her efforts to transform the lives of her students and the community at large through innovative teaching methods.

She developed a project focused on studying the factors influencing crop growth in the lyceum's greenhouse. Harnessing the conducive environment and students' interest in the subject, Jimena collaboratively explored solutions to the challenges they encountered. This involved engaging in debates, exchanging ideas, and strategically planning lines of work to achieve positive outcomes.

The award granted by the ReachingU Foundation to Uruguay's most creative and dedicated educators who make a positive influence on their pupils and communities went to Jimena Prez Shirmer.

"I want my students to be good citizens who positively impact their entire environment and the context where they live. To not be afraid, to transform the world. I want happy students not only in my classroom but in all teachers' classrooms " said the winning teacher.

With this project, Jimena sought to encourage an attitude committed to caring for the environment, promoting a more sustainable future in an inclusive and empathetic environment.

"Evidence and experience have shown us that the continuous training of teachers and educational leaders is crucial to guarantee quality learning. Therefore, ReachingU's commitment to Uruguayan education led us to create this award in order to contribute to the revaluation of the key role of teachers, a fundamental aspect for the improvement of education," said Fernanda Guliak, executive director of the Foundation, during the award ceremony.

The ReachingU Foundation's annual prize – which is the local version of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize – recognises the chosen teacher with US$5,000.

In the framework of the delivery of the award to the Uruguayan teacher 2023, Guliak stressed that in the coming years, ReachingU will focus "on the development and updating of education professionals" through the Teacher Development Program, launched in August of this year by the Foundation, which "will finance and promote innovative projects of professional strengthening and updating for teachers and professors who work in areas of context and with populations vulnerable", allocating US$ 1,500,000 in the period 2024-2026

The ceremony was held in the Vaz Ferreira Auditorium of the National Library and the award was presented by Maria Noel Riccetto, artistic director of the Sodre National Ballet. The ceremony was attended by national authorities such as the president of the Central Directive Council of the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), Robert Silva; the national director of Education of the MEC, Gonzalo Baroni; Adriana Aristimuño, Director of Educational Policies of the ANEP; Olga De Las Heras, General Directorate of Initial and Primary Education, among other authorities.

The five finalists were evaluated by a jury composed of Gonzalo Baroni, Director of Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Víctor Pizzichillo, President of the Education Training Council, Zelmira May, National Programme Specialist for Education of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science, Martín Rebour, Training Manager of Ceibal and Denise Vaillant, Dean of the Institute of Education Universidad ORT Uruguay.

Read more about ReachingU Foundation here