Pakistani teacher Rifat Arif aka Sister Zeph has been named the winner of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023 for her efforts to establish school and providing free education to 215 underprivileged children.

The event was organised in collaboration with UNESCO and in strategic partnership with Dubai Cares, a UAE-based global philanthropic organisation, the organisation said. Her win was announced on November 8, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

Sister Zeph founded her own school in the courtyard of her home in Gujranwala at just 13 in 1997 for children whose parents cannot pay fees.

“She worked eight-hour days to fund the school, then taught students for another four hours, and then stayed up at night teaching herself. Twenty-six years later, the school, now housed in a brand-new building, provides free education for more than 200 underprivileged children,” said the organisation.

She also runs self-defence classes and provides financial assistance to families choosing between educating their children and paying their utilities. Her vocational centre has taught skills in ICT, textiles, and the English language to “over 6,000 women”.

With the award funds, Sister Zeph plans to build a school where needy children can be educated without discrimination. She further plans to create a shelter for orphans, where food would be grown on the property and teachers from all parts of the world would be invited to teach them.

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Sister Zeph at the Élysée.

In reaction to the development, interim PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that it was a “great moment of pride” for Pakistan.

“Our very own sister Zeph has won the Global Teacher Prize 2023. Education is a subject really close to my heart. I believe only education can uplift the people to achieve laurels for themselves and their country and can make them better citizens,” he said and congratulated her.