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| 12 Nov 2025 | |
| Uruguay | |
| National Teacher Prize |
At Public School No. 123 in Ciudad del Plata, San José, teacher María Evangelina Hernández Fabre has found a new way to talk about rights, coexistence, and respect. Through participatory Comprehensive Sexuality Education workshops that bring together students, teachers, and families, she has transformed daily school life, earning her the 2025 ReachingU Uruguayan Teacher of the Year Award.
Her project fosters inclusion and empathy through weekly classroom discussions on identity, healthy relationships, and body care, alongside teacher training and family dialogues. The result has been a more inclusive and respectful school environment, where every member of the community recognises themselves as a subject of rights.
The ReachingU Award, organised by the ReachingU Foundation in partnership with the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize and the UNESCO Office in Montevideo, celebrates teachers who make an inspiring impact on their students and communities. Since 2019, the award has spotlighted educators innovating to improve learning and ensure student retention, reaching nearly 4,500 teachers across Uruguay in 2025.
The 2025 jury, composed of Rocío Schiappapietra (National Library Director), Darío Greni (Top 50 Global Teacher Prize 2019), Zelmira May (UNESCO Education Specialist), Fabián Roizen (Education Specialist), and Denise Vaillant (Dean, ORT University Uruguay), commended María’s courage in tackling a challenging and necessary subject.
“The ReachingU Award brings us closer to teachers who are generating a transformative impact on their students and communities,” said Paula Mosera, Executive Director of ReachingU. “With this recognition, we seek to make these stories visible so that they inspire other educators and society as a whole.”
The ceremony, held at the Mario Benedetti Auditorium of the Antel Tower, gathered educational authorities and 200 students from the finalists’ schools. María received US$5,000 to further develop her project, while four other outstanding finalists were honored with training scholarships.
Through this partnership between ReachingU, the Varkey Foundation, and UNESCO, Uruguay continues to celebrate and elevate the teachers shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for education.