Bryant Acar, a science teacher from Science and Technology Education Center – Senior High School (STEC-SHS) in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu has made it to the Top 10 of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize (GTP) 2021.
Nominated by his students and colleagues for the prestigious international award due to his various contributions to his school and region, Acar has joined nine other finalists from other countries vying for the $1 million award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.
“Being in the Top 10 is something I did not expect. There are so many teachers with high qualifications and great accomplishments, so many of us are clueless as to who will make it to the list,” Acar said.
Transferring from a comfortable teaching post in a university in search of a greater purpose, Acar landed at STEC-SHS, a small school without a science laboratory, in 2016.
With his perseverance and love for science, he has trained his students, used his connections to universities to link his school to laboratories that they can use to practice, and developed teaching modules, textbooks, worksheets, and learning resources replicated by 10 neighboring science schools. His students are now national and international winners of various science competitions.
“I draw inspiration from the students and the value of resilience. I should never give up because of this pandemic. This did not cripple me from giving my best in teaching. The platform may have changed to online but a motivated teacher will always find a way to rise to the occasion,” Acar said.
If he wins the award, Acar said he is eyeing to build Global Teacher Prize Learning Hub in his school, equipped with an audio-video system and internet cables with tablets where students and teachers can do research, training, and conference.
He is also planning to have a school bus for the students of STEC-SHS for competitions and outreach programs purposes. Lastly, he plans to travel to different schools around the globe to learn their best practices, as well as, share his knowledge with them through forums.
Acar said that he has a few projects to submit for patenting, and he will continue training teachers in his division in the area of research.
“The passion of Mr. Acar is another inspiring story we want to cultivate in the Department. We will always be rooting for the likes of Teacher Bryant, as we are dedicated to further develop their skills and talents in the teaching profession,” Department of Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones in a statement said.
The awarding ceremony for the 2021 Global Teacher Prize will be held virtually on Nov. 10.