Education Min Varsha Gaikwad directs authorities to approve Ranjitsinh Disale’s study leave

Global Teacher Prize 2020 winner Ranjitsinh Disale had applied for six months’ leave to study in the US on a Fulbright DAI scholarship.

Mumbai Ranjitsinh Disale, the winner of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize 2020, will now be able to pursue a scholarship in the United States after school education minister Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday directed authorities to approve his leave application. Disale had applied for six months’ leave to study in the US on a Fulbright DAI scholarship.

Ranjitsinh Disale was among the 12,000 educators from 140 countries who were nominated for the prize. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

A teacher at a Zilla Parshad school in Solapur’s Paritewadi, Disale is the first teacher from India to win the prestigious $1-million Global Teacher Prize for innovation in teaching.

After a delay in Disale’s leave approval came to light, the school education minister directed Dilip Swami, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Solapur Zilla Parishad, to approve his application.

“Had a chat with Dr. Dilip Swami, CEO Solapur on Global Teacher Prize winner @ranjitdisale leave application for further studies. Have directed that it be approved. The department believes in continued education for not just students but also teachers,” Gaikwad tweeted on Saturday.

Disale later thanked the minister for her intervention.

Speaking to ABP Majha, Disale said, “I had applied for six months leave on December 14 but it is yet to be approved by the senior officials. The last day to submit the approval for Fulbright DAI is January 25.”

He was among the 12,000 educators from 140 countries who were nominated for the prize. The Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognise teachers making outstanding contributions to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society.

In 2015, the Maharashtra government had adopted Disale’s idea and made QR codes available in Balbharti textbooks. Subsequently in 2018, the then Union Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar had announced that all National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks will have embedded QR codes.

Post the win, Disale appeared in Kaun Banega Crorepati’s (KBC) Karamveer episode in December 2020.