Government Girls Day Secondary School, Runjin Sambo, Sokoto, has been named in the Top 10 shortlists for the $250,000 World’s Best School Prizes.

The five World’s Best School Prizes, founded last year by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, and the Lemann Foundation, are the world’s most prestigious education prizes.

The school, whichh has transformed the lives of thousands of teenage girls through its Menstrual Hygiene programme, was named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity.

The five World’s Best School Prizes for community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity and supporting healthy lives – celebrate schools for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and contribution to society’s progress, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The prizes were established to share the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities.

Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, Vikas Pota, said the shortlisted schools, regardless of where they can be found or what they teach, all have one thing in common.

According to Pota, the schools know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change, and build excellent teaching and learning environments.

The school has brought about a transformative shift in the lives of thousands of teenage girls through its menstrual hygiene programme, breaking barriers to education and empowering them to reach their full potentials.

With a school population of about 4,000 teenage students aged 11 to 18 years old, the school created a multi-pronged approach to address the crisis in girls’ access to quality education, with girls facing stigma, exclusion, discrimination, bullying, and gender-based violence.

This approach involved guidance and counselling services, teacher-led programmes tackling menstrual trauma, physical and mental effects, as well as referral services in the case of menstrual infections to access medical care, and mentorship to reconnect students to learning.

The school’s unwavering commitment has not only improved the academic performance and health of its students but also produced future nurses and health personnel who are serving the community. This inspiring initiative is a shining example of how education can be a powerful tool for social change, providing hope and opportunities for girls who were once held back by taboos and stigma.

The top three finalists for each of the five World’s Best School Prizes would be announced in September, followed by the winners in October. (The Guardian)

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