Suubi Community Schools in Mubende district has won the Global Schools Prize 2026 for Inclusive Education, earning a $50,000 (about Shs 187 million) award in recognition of its efforts to provide accessible and inclusive learning opportunities for vulnerable children.The award, presented by the Varkey Foundation, celebrates innovative and impactful schools transforming education worldwide. Alongside the cash prize, Suubi Community Schools also received a Global Schools Prize Badge in recognition of its leadership in inclusive education.The Mubende-based school emerged from nearly 3,000 nominations and applications submitted from 113 countries. It has also been named among the top 10 finalists for the overall Global Schools Prize 2026, whose winner will receive an additional $500,000 (about Shs 1.8 billion) during the Education World Forum scheduled for May 19.Founded by education entrepreneur and philanthropist Sunny Varkey, the $1 million Global Schools Prize is considered the world’s largest award recognising schools that demonstrate innovation, resilience and impact in education regardless of circumstance.A teacher in classSuubi Community Schools was founded by Daniel Sebugwawo and currently serves about 570 learners aged between five and 19 years. The school has become a model for inclusive education in a region where literacy and numeracy levels remain low among many children.The school uses a structured catch-up learning model built around foundational skills, formative assessment, individualised learning plans and adaptive multi-sensory teaching methods. The approach supports learners facing reading difficulties, attention disorders, language barriers and trauma-related learning gaps linked to the Ebola outbreak and Covid-19 school closures.One of the school’s standout innovations has been assigning learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) leadership roles in STEM, arts and vocational projects, a strategy credited with boosting learners’ confidence while creating a replicable model for inclusive learning.Teacher development at the school is conducted through four quarterly training cycles guided by UNICEF and World Bank frameworks. Partnerships with Riverflow International and the installation of a solar power system have also expanded digital learning opportunities for students.The school has further strengthened parent-teacher engagement and community dialogue to challenge disability stigma, particularly against girls. School administrators said the prize money will be used to expand teacher training, recruit additional staff, strengthen STEM and vocational programmes, and support after-class catch-up learning initiatives.Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, the Global Schools Prize and GEMS Education, praised the school for demonstrating how education can equip young people with skills and values needed in a rapidly changing world.“Congratulations, Suubi Community Schools. Your approach to teaching and learning powerfully demonstrates how schools play a defining role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and values needed to shape our rapidly evolving world,” Varkey said.He added that the recognition was intended to inspire global conversations around scaling innovative education models and expanding access to quality learning worldwide.The Global Schools Prize features categories including AI Transformation, Arts, Culture and Creativity, Character and Values Driven Education, Global Citizenship and Peacebuilding, Health and Wellbeing, Sustainability, STEM Education and Teacher Development.The prize is overseen by the Global Schools Prize Council, which comprises leading figures in education, technology and philanthropy from across the world including former President and Vice-President of Ecuador, Nuno Crato and Portugal’s former Education minister, Andreas Schleicher, Stefania Giannini, former Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, and Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board.The post Mubende school wins $50,000 global education prize, aims for $500,000 appeared first on The Observer.