“Every child deserves the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances. I will continue working to break barriers and so that no young man stays behind ”, were the words of Mansour Bin Abdullah al-Manour, a professor from Saudi Arabia, when he won the prize Global Teacher Prize 2025.
One of his great achievements of the educator was have converted a small and modest school building of Saudi Arabia, with students from environments marked by precariousness, learning disabilities and parents who lacked formal education, in an inclusive and innovative space that ended up becoming in one of the ten best learning environments in the region.
In conversation with week, Al-Manour assures that his love and passion for the teaching profession and for helping others to learn are his main motivations to persevere. “It is a big and sacred profession through which people in their lives can be provided. I also motivate my ability and love to work with children and influence them so that they are good in their community and in their country, ”he says.
On the titanic project to convert a small school into one of the best in the country, it ensures that it was possible thanks to the fact that He always listened to the needs of his students and also sought the help of experts in psychology, science and talent to turn them into creative students, talented and innovative. “In fact, after a year of hard work with them, students loved school, and their motivation to learn greatly increased. We organized an exhibition of scientific innovations that won the prize for the best exhibition in the region. My students acquired higher thinking skills and scientific research. This was a great success that has influenced my professional career to date and taught me that, with perseverance, any challenge is achieved. ”
Throughout his more than 20 years as a teacher, Al-Manour comments that one of the great challenges he has had to face is “The large number of students from poor families with economic needs. Thanks to the cooperation of a company specialized in financial awareness, we managed to train students. After these training, each student received a loan of 200 dollars, which should invest intelligently. The results are impressive. In the end, the students benefited their own families. ”
Given the question about how to replicate in countries like Colombia, the Saudi Professor Teaching Methodologies, affirms that Although it is a difficult challenge, especially in rural and poor areas, you can start with the implementation of initiatives adapted to their age such as “creating a small market within school or school and during a specific period. There the students prepare food, sweets and desserts with their families or any other suitable product to sell. Then the activity is coordinated within the school environment and there the students are trained on how to sell and buy. Over time, this project can expand outside school. This method has been tried successfully. ”
Another of the qualities that approached Al-Manour to become the best teacher in the world in 2025 is his teaching philosophywhich focuses on promoting skills for life, happiness and sustainability, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Saudi, that He has dedicated more than 3,000 hours of voluntary service to the teaching of more than 250 orphan children in different schoolsconnects education with real world problems, such as climate change, financial education and social responsibility through project -based learning. In addition, it includes the Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and interactive learning platforms, transforming students’ experience into classrooms. “Seeing my students at the highest level of their academic, skills and leadership achievements is one of the most rewarding moments for me as a teacher.”
On which teachers or colleagues have been their inspiration throughout all these years, Al-Mansour assures modesty that “Every teacher who performs their function with mastery, quality and distinction, and produces a positive change in their students, is an inspiration for me, I benefit my experiences and apply them with my own students ”. However, the impact of Al-Mansour goes beyond the classrooms. He also leads beneficial initiatives, volunteer programs and support networks for orphans and Persons deprived of liberty, to whom they provide tutorials in reading and writing, giving them a second chance in their lives. “I decided to work with this population group for my passion to help the poor already needed, also for my ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities. I achieved great results with these people and some of them have already reached positively impact their communities. ” Thanks to this work, several inmates have managed to reduce their sentences.
On the importance of the figure that teachers play in the life of the students, the Saudi says that something that has always characterized it is to sit with all their students, listen and serve them. “I am close to them as if I were a father, as if he were a member of his family; After that, the student feels safe already except, and shows all his creativity ”, says. He even urges his colleagues around the world to do the same. “I advise my classmates to approach their students, to listen to them and understand their needs. Thus, they will be loved by them, they will have a greater influence on their lives and will be an example to follow. Consider your students as an investment that in the future will generate changes in the country. Also I advise my colleagues to develop continuously and stay up to date with advances in the field of education. ”
Finally, The best professor in the world said that with the million dollars he received from the Global Teacher Prize award, Organized by the Varkey and UNESCO Foundation, and sponsored by great personalities, such as Pope Francis, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, Dream of building “an innovative and unprecedented school for orphansthat adapts to the revolution of information and technology and contemporary challenges, and that is based on scientific laboratories equipped with the most modern scientific devices for the Stem scientific approach. I dream of a school where orphans can be among the best students at local and world level. ”
