Danilo Kovač, the author of the winning practice of the 2022 Innovative Teacher Award in the Secondary School Teachers category, is one of the 50 finalists for this year’s most prestigious teaching award – the Global Teacher Prize.
In introducing Danilo Kovač and his work on the official website of the Global Teacher Prize, it states that the history professor from Bosnia and Herzegovina is a transformative educator who is dedicated to using history as a tool for reconciliation, critical reflection and civic responsibility.
Shaped by his own war experiences, he has focused on addressing unresolved traumas from the recent past and fostering reconciliation in a divided society. His innovative teaching methods, coupled with his extensive contributions to the field of education, have had a profound impact locally and internationally, the explanation states.
Supported by a Chevening Scholarship, he earned an MA in History from the University of London and later completed a PhD on World War II at the Sapienza University of Rome. In his teaching, he has used impartial archival sources to develop teaching materials that emphasize individual moral responsibility, justice, and reconciliation – tools designed to help students engage critically with history and address social issues.
He also uses creative, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching history, and his projects integrate the arts and humanities to foster empathy and civic engagement.
Notable examples include a theatre play inspired by the Edict of Milan, which sparked debates about religious tolerance, and a museum exhibition on women painters during World War I, which challenged gender stereotypes. Through these initiatives, Danilo Kovač’s students have developed essential 21st century competencies, including research, media literacy, and public speaking.
Describing his contribution to youth education, the website highlights that Professor Kovač is a passionate mentor who has guided nearly 180 students to pursue higher education abroad, including at top institutions like Harvard. His leadership in fostering global citizenship is evident in his projects that promote cross-cultural cooperation.
For example, he created an interactive historical map that won an innovation award and involved students in dance initiatives focused on reconciliation that were supported by the US Embassy, according to a description of Danilo Kovač’s teaching activities.
The Innovative Teacher Award, organized by the Step by Step Center for Educational Initiatives since 2016, is the most prestigious teaching award in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is part of the Global Teacher Prize, so winners from Bosnia and Herzegovina do not go through the full nomination and selection process – they skip a few steps.
The Global Teacher Prize is an annual $1 million award presented by the Varkey Foundation to a teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. Nominations from teachers who meet certain criteria are open to all teachers worldwide. The Global Teacher Prize Academy selects and chooses the best practices from the submitted applications. The Academy members are education experts, principals, journalists, public servants, technology entrepreneurs, company directors and scientists from around the world.
The Global Teacher Prize, which journalists have called the Nobel Prize for teaching, highlights and celebrates the profession while also giving greater recognition to the work of teachers around the world. The Varkey Foundation says it wants to promote teachers as stars and support the quality of education in order to highlight the enormous impact teachers have in our lives. It emphasizes that the teaching profession should be the most important profession in the world and that they should be given due respect.
The Innovative Teacher Prizes – Practices for 2024 will be awarded in Konjic on January 17. One of the members of the Commission, which decided on this year’s nominated and winning practices, was Danilo Kovač, Klix.ba writes.
