Help us by nominating those who you believe deserve recognition

Great leaders inspire; they encourage us to learn and become more. The 2024/5 GEM Report due out in November will not only examine the requirements of good leadership in education, but also aims to spotlight the stories of effective education leaders from around the world.

Our report would like to showcase remarkable individuals who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that no one is left behind and who are motivated by the call to ensure an inclusive and equitable quality education, as expressed in the formulation of SDG 4, the global goal for education.

Being a leader is not an easy task. All around the world, leaders face a myriad of challenges, from economic cutbacks to ensuring the safety of students and staff, making tough decisions that shape the future of the next generation of learners. Inspiring leaders are fundamental to changing mindsets – at the school, local and, especially, national level.

The attributes of good leadership are hard to pin down, but when they culminate in one motivated and committed individual, they are impossible to ignore. To highlight and recognize the contributions that some visionary and courageous people have made, we are asking you to tell us about your education leaders, hoping that their stories will illustrate the real meaning of leadership in education for everyone to understand. Championing these stories in the report, through our events and in the media will help inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

With your help, we want to find…

• teachers or head teachers who have come into a school and made it more inclusive…
• politicians or civil servants who have pushed the right buttons to make a change…
• youth, students, parents or communities that have battled against the odds to uphold the right to education…
• activists, academics or journalists who have asked the right questions, interrogated the evidence and successfully influenced education systems for the better…
• filmmakers/artists or intellectuals who have influenced public perception of education through their work and thinking…

These may be people who are currently occupying leadership roles or who played a key role at some point in the development of their countries’ education systems.

You can nominate champions by sending us information to k.linkins@unesco.org or by providing information on this Google form. We want to know why you have nominated them. We are interested to know their background, what inspired them and what has been their key contribution.