Ghanaian Teacher Wins 2025 Global Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award

Teacher beats 5158 nominations from 101 countries to take top prize in Cambridge’s

teacher competition

Over and above her teaching role, teacher’s fundraising and charity work to ensure

access to education are winning combination

The International Education group at
Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) today announced that English
teacher, Portia Dzifa Dzilah from Pakro Anglican Basic School in the Akuapim South
District of Ghana, is the global winner of the 2025 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher
Awards. In a close race with eight other regional winners from around the globe, Portia
earned 33 percent of the public vote to become the overall winner – the first time a
teacher from Ghana has won the title.
The competition celebrates the role that teachers play in shaping the lives of their
learners and preparing them for the world. Pakro is a remote farming community that
faces challenges such as high rates of pupil absence and teenage pregnancy. Portia is
dedicated to transforming her students’ lives and was nominated for her food and
sanitary product drives, Gender Club, and for encouraging her students – particularly
girls – to stay in full-time education.
Winner’s celebration
The achievement came as a surprise to Portia when receiving a video call from Group
Managing Director of International Education, Rod Smith. Believing that she was
accepting her trophy for winning the Sub-Saharan Africa regional award in the
competition, Portia learned that she had also won the global vote.
Watch the surprise video here.
Cambridge colleagues travelled to Portia’s school with local education partner NNF
Esquire to present her with the global award and £500 worth of books from the
Cambridge-NNF Essential range. They were joined by Elizabeth Afriyie – Municipal
Director of Education and Joyce Anim – Deputy Director of Education for Akuapim
South, as well as the whole community of Pakro who came out to celebrate Portia’s win.
Watch the school celebration here.

Upon receiving her award, Portia said: “I want to thank my students – they are my
greatest inspiration. Their strength, curiosity, and determination remind me every day
why I teach. I believe in the potential of every child and that education can break cycles
and open doors. To every girl who has walked into my classroom when it would have
been easier to stay home, and to every parent who has dared to hope for more for their
child, this is for you! Let us continue to build a world where education truly transforms
lives.”
Group Managing Director of International Education, Rod Smith said: “Sometimes, we
meet teachers whose dedication goes so far beyond the job description that it’s hard to
imagine how they find time for anything else. Some educators are simply born to teach
– their passion is so deep, so instinctive, that it becomes a way of life. Portia’s
unwavering belief in the transformative power of education is both inspiring and deeply
moving. She brings not only knowledge to her students, but hope, encouragement, and
a vision for what their futures can be.”
As part of her overall prize, Portia can now take part in a course of her choice from
Cambridge’s Enrichment Professional Development programme. She will also appear
as the overall winner on a ‘Thank you’ page at the front of a range of new Cambridge
textbooks, available to the public from November 2025, and appear in Cambridge
promotions throughout the year.
Now in its seventh year, the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards gives students,
parents and peers the chance to nominate a current primary or secondary teacher for
outstanding commitment to their students’ education.
About Cambridge
Learn more at cambridgeinternational.org.
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businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250527190363/en/
Contacts
Media contact
Dr Karen Birmingham
Head of Communications, International Education
karen.birmingham@cambridge.org

Source: Cambridge University Press & Assessment