LONDON, Feb. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Brazil’s Débora Garofalo has been named the first-ever Global Teacher Influencer of the Year, a new award launched by the Varkey Foundation to recognise one exceptional teacher who leverages social media to advance education beyond the classroom. Débora accepted her award from Jay Varkey, Trustee of the Varkey Foundation and Deputy CEO of GEMS Education, at a prestigious gala dinner at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai, celebrating the teachers of the world.
Jay Varkey, Trustee of the Varkey Foundation and Deputy CEO of GEMS Education said:
“Congratulations, Débora, on being named the Varkey Foundation’s first-ever Global Teacher Influencer of the Year. In the digital age, attention is currency – and you have used that attention to advance learning and inspire others. Through your ‘junk robotics’ programme, which turns discarded materials into education and opportunity, and your uplifting presence online, you are helping students reimagine what is possible, and encouraging educators everywhere to do the same.”
Débora Garofalo, Global Teacher Influencer of the Year, said:
“I am deeply honoured to be named the Varkey Foundation’s first-ever Teacher Influencer of the Year. Social media has enabled the work in our classroom to inspire far beyond our school, and I look forward to continuing to share stories of creativity, resilience, and possibility with educators worldwide.
“Through junk robotics, my students have learned that even discarded materials can be transformed into innovation and opportunity. This award belongs to them, and to every person who believes that learning can change communities and open doors to a better future.”
Débora Garofalo, a public school teacher in São Paulo, is a powerful voice in education leadership, innovation, and teacher advocacy – inspiring a growing community of teachers online. With more than 128,000 followers on Instagram, she shares classroom practice, pedagogical insight, and inspiring behind-the-scenes moments from schools, conferences, and events – always with the goal of strengthening learning.
Débora teaches near four favelas, and has helped her local community tackle serious problems of garbage dumping by bringing discarded materials into the classroom and using robotics to recycle them.
Through her “junk robotics” programme, her students have produced many prototypes including soda machines, carts, boats and planes – all of which she showcases on social media to inspire change across the region and the country. The Government of São Paulo asked her to help transform the local technology curriculum – with her work influencing millions of children in thousands of schools.
In 2019, Débora Garofalo was a top 10 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize.
She was announced as the Global Teacher Influencer of the Year during the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize Top 10 Gala Dinner. The evening marked the culmination of a day celebrating teachers and their immeasurable impact. It started with SPARK.Dubai, a conference hosted by the Varkey Foundation to explore ways to unlock the transformative power of the world’s schools.
Earlier in the day, Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation and GEMS Education, announced the launch of the 1 Million Schools Campaign, a bold global drive to enlist one million schools worldwide in a shared commitment to doing good in their communities and beyond – igniting millions of meaningful connections along the way.
At SPARK.Dubai, participants also heard from some of the world’s most celebrated artists – multiple-Grammy Award-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist Nile Rodgers; Artistic Director, choreographer and dancer, Carlos Acosta; and acclaimed singer Matteo Bocelli – on how schools can spark creativity in the age of AI. Dancers from Carlos Acosta’s dance school, Acosta Danza Academy, flew in from Cuba to perform onstage. GEMS School of Research and Innovation students also took to the stage to showcase the school’s groundbreaking technology, including Mangobots – intelligent, interactive learning robots – and AI avatars built for education.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. They support global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. They also founded the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world.
- GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading private K-12 education providers, educating more than 200,000 students from 176+ nationalities across its global network of owned and managed schools. With nearly half a million alumni, GEMS has built a legacy of impact that spans generations and continents. Established in Dubai in 1959, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organization, guided by its visionary Founder and Chairman Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey (Group CEO) and Jay Varkey (Deputy CEO). With a focus on delivering high-quality education to students from all walks of life, GEMS offers a wide range of curricula and learning pathways. Each year, GEMS students graduate into the world’s top universities, including all eight Ivy League institutions and every UK Russell Group university, and go on to become leaders, innovators, and changemakers in every sector. Through its expanding school network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS is committed to its mission: to put quality education within reach of every learner, everywhere.
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