For US$$250,000 World’s Best School Prizes For 2023, BWI named in Top 10 Shortlist

An inspirational Liberian school 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.
Booker Washington Institute, a government technical secondary school in Kakata City, Liberia, which is empowering students with the necessary skills and knowledge to break the chains of poverty and unemployment, has been named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration. 
The five World’s Best School Prizes - for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives - celebrate schools everywhere for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and for their enormous contribution to society’s progress, especially in the wake of COVID. 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.
Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said: “The schools shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, no matter where they can be found or what they teach, all have one thing in common. They all have a strong school culture. Their leaders know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change, and build excellent teaching and learning environments.
“I must congratulate Booker Washington Institute on being named in the Top 10 shortlists for the World’s Best School Prizes 2023. Schools across the globe will learn from the story of this trailblazing Liberian institution and the culture it has cultivated.” 
Booker Washington Institute, a government technical secondary school in Kakata City, Liberia, is empowering students with the necessary skills and knowledge to break the chains of poverty and unemployment. Every year, with over 60% of graduates successfully launching their own businesses, securing employment, or moving into tertiary education,  the school has become a beacon of hope in Liberia's job market and youth advancement in general. The institution's visionary approach to technical and vocational education is a game-changer, paving the way for a new generation of self-sufficient and accomplished Liberians.

Booker Washington Institute was founded 94 years ago in 1929 on the principle that students needed practical, technical and vocational training to be prepared for the world of work. This became even more important over the course of Liberia’s history, especially in the wake of the 14-year-long civil war. 

Today, Booker Washington Institute’s academic-TVET programme is a platform for job creation and entrepreneurship among its students, with an emphasis on agriculture, engineering, construction, hospitality management, business education, computer science, educational leadership, and much more. Altogether, the school provides students with the skills to become successful contributors to national and global development. 

To ensure that students are well-equipped, the school attracts the best instructors with industrial experience  and professionals in partnership with companies and businesses operating in Liberia. Through these partnerships, students are offered internships with the hope of employment upon completion of their internships. 

At the same time, financial institutions and strategic businesses fund some of the best student entrepreneurs to start their own businesses, and those interested in agriculture are provided with resources and tools for start-ups as small cooperatives for production.

The Top 3 finalists for each of the five World’s Best School Prizes will be announced in September 2023 followed by the winners in October. The winner of each Prize will be chosen based on rigorous criteria by a Judging Academy comprising distinguished leaders across the globe including academics, educators, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, government, civil society, and the private sector. 

A prize of US$250,000 will be equally shared among the winners of the five Prizes, with each receiving an award of US$50,000. 
All 50 shortlisted schools will be invited to share their best practices through events on the T4 Communities app or School Transformation Toolkits that showcase their “secret sauce” to innovative approaches and step-by-step instructions on how others can replicate their methods to help improve education everywhere.
The School Transformation Toolkits from last year’s winning and shortlisted schools are now available online.
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