TWO globally renowned educators have each won the HK$30-million (US$3.8 million) Yidan Prize for their outstanding research and innovative ideas on educational development, according to a Shenzhen Special Zone Daily report yesterday, quoting the Yidan Prize Foundation.

The award ceremony will be held in December in Hong Kong.

Carol S. Dweck, a professor with Stanford University in the United States, won the Yidan Prize for Education Research, which recognizes outstanding research that contributes in significant ways to education.

Dweck’s work crosses multiple disciplines in psychology, including social, developmental and personality psychology. Her research examines the development of self-beliefs and the ways in which those beliefs affect behavior and achievement. Dweck’s most significant contribution to the field relates to beliefs about intelligence.

Vicky Colbert of Colombia, founder and director of Fundación Escuela Nueva, won the Yidan Prize for Education Development, which recognizes innovative ideas that tackle important challenges in the field of education. Colbert is co-creator of the Escuela Nueva education model, widely known for its effectiveness in improving the quality and relevance of basic education in underprivileged schools across Colombia and beyond.

Each award’s HK$30 million comprises of a cash prize of HK$15 million and a project fund of HK$15 million.

The prize winners were selected by an independent committee of education experts led by Dr. Koichiro Matsuura, former director-general of UNESCO.

The two nominees were decided under four strict criteria: foresight, sustainability, the capability to reform existing educational structures and innovative ability to respond to what might be the future challenges for education.

The Yidan Prize was founded by Chen Yidan, a co-founder of Shenzhen-based Internet giant Tencent, in May 2016. Chen wanted to use the prize to scale up innovative education research projects. (Han Ximin)