Sister Zeph is the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2023, establishing herself as the world's best teacher. Her educational journey is nothing short of incredible.

Riffat Arif, better known as Sister Zeph, is 40 years old and a Christian. She left school at the age of 13, in 1997, because “no one could answer my questions”, she explained during a meeting with Rose Busingye at the Rimini meeting. During the meeting, she declared: “I've never been so happy, I cried during the whole mass, because here I feel like family, my family in Christ”. Her family comes from humble beginnings - her mother, father and three sisters - and were lucky enough to “receive a primary education”. This is something that cannot be taken for granted in Pakistan, where “26.2 million people do not go to school and only 22% of women are emancipated”.
At just 13 years of age, Sister Zeph founded a school in the courtyard of her home in Gujranwala, in the Pakistani Punjab, to help children from families unable to pay school fees.
Sister Zeph devoted herself entirely to her school, constantly dividing her time between work, teaching and self-taught studies, earning two master's degrees in political science and history.
Her efforts paid off: after 26 years, the school underwent a change, housing and offering free education to over 200 underprivileged children in a brand-new building. Many of his students, from modest and difficult backgrounds, have had the opportunity to work for his foundation for education and empowerment, while others have gone on to very successful professional careers.

But her commitment doesn't stop at the world of teaching: Sister Zeph also runs self-defense courses for girls, having herself been the victim of aggression and violence. And then, in addition to offering financial assistance to families in difficulty, she runs a vocational center that helps women develop skills in ICT (Information and Communication Technology), textiles and English.

Her dedication to education and empowerment has literally saved countless lives and earned her numerous awards, recognizing her as a true agent of change and advocate for women's rights and children's education worldwide.
With funding from the Global Teacher Prize, Sister Zeph plans to build a school on 10 acres where children from the country's poorest families can be educated without discrimination. She would also like to create a shelter for orphans, where food would be grown on the property and teachers from all over the world would be invited to do their work.

“As a child, I possessed a deep sensitivity. During my formative years, a decisive incident definitively changed the course of my life. It was the day I decided to drop out of school in the middle of seventh grade. What made it unique? Well, I swore I'd never go back, deeply scarred by a humiliating experience. That day, I gave an impromptu speech to my classmates, playing the role of a teacher by standing on the teacher's chair. When our teacher entered the classroom, she became angry and inflicted a severe punishment on me in front of my classmates. She hurled insults at me and the other girls joined her in ridiculing me. I was overwhelmed with tears, mentally and emotionally wounded. I thought this was the wrong way to educate a child who was just a child.
At that moment, I took everyone by surprise by quitting school immediately, abruptly extinguishing all my dreams. Despite my parents' attempts to enroll me in other schools, I remained determined, refusing to give in. Nevertheless, my quest for knowledge never wavered. I embarked on a course of independent, tuition-free study. At the same time, I made it my mission to educate other girls, but with the respect, love and care that had been denied me at my old school. I volunteered to host girls in my home, started making home visits in my village and created brochures to distribute. I proclaimed that education under my direction would be free.
To take things a step further, I ventured into neighboring villages to persuade parents to send their daughters to my school. I promised to teach them English for free. Every Sunday, I accompanied my mother on her visits to the families, although she was initially greeted with skepticism.
My efforts seemed comical to those around me. No one trusted a thirteen-year-old and no one wanted to join my school. Nevertheless, I persevered relentlessly, because I didn't want any child to go through what I had endured. I decided never to resort to physical discipline in my school and to make education an attractive and enjoyable experience for children.”