Salento teacher Daniele Mani wins the “Gess Education Award”

Salento teacher Daniele Mani won the “Gess Education Award”, a special jury award for innovation. Out of 100 finalists in 9 categories, only Manny and Ghanaian teacher Josinta Kwakywa received the “Judges’ Appreciation Award”. The final celebrations were held a few days ago in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the first time that an Italian has won the “Gess Education Award”. Mane was unable to physically attend the final and there was no live webcast, so he only learned of the news today.

“I was quite sure that I had not won – says Daniele Mani – as the organization often contacts the winners a few days before the event to confirm their attendance or to invite them to prepare a short presentation. However, I was very happy and proud of the way it went Indeed, it is certainly not every day that you are chosen among 13 teachers in the world who have been finalists for an international award. There is no point in hiding the fact that today, with this wonderful news that came as a surprise, I feel speechless. “I am infinitely grateful to all the members of the international jury. I can only dedicate this award to all the people I love, and of course to all my wonderful students; without them I might have become a simple computer scientist with an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Daniele Mani was selected by the international jury because he encourages and mentors students in creating startups, has created a four-year self-entrepreneurship track, designed a student-centred school and his students have created high-impact social enterprises. Mani was the only Italian teacher out of all the finalists.

Mani, 64, has taught IT at the Galilei Costa Institute in Lecce for 33 years and entrepreneurship for 20 years. In 2015, he was among 50 finalists in the world for the Global Teacher Prize (“Nobel”). “Teachers Award”, in 2018 and 2020 he took the podium of the “Teaching Awards for Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, and in 2020 he was the first Italian teacher to win the “Global Teacher Award”. In Italy, he received, among other awards, the title of “Teacher of the Year 2020”.