A FORMER Bathurst High vice-captain has been named as one of the top 10 teachers in the world - and is a step closer to winning a $1 million global prize.
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Yasodai Selvakumaran, who completed Year 12 at Bathurst High before embarking on a teaching career, is the only Australian in this year's top 10 for the Global Teacher Prize.
The final 10 were selected from more than 10,000 nominations from 179 countries.
Ms Selvakumaran’s parents left Sri Lanka among growing civil tensions and she grew up in Bathurst before moving to Sydney to complete university.
She teaches history, society and culture and geography at Rooty Hill High School in Sydney’s west, where students know her as "Ms Selva".
"I was really inspired to become a teacher by my teachers at Bathurst High School," she said.
"They had a huge impact on me, not just in terms of subjects but they took a real interest in us as young people and provided a real sense of support.
"Growing up, my maternal grandparents were teachers in Sri Lanka and whenever they came and visited, they would always get ex-students coming to see them.
"Even now, when I go to events, people know my grandparents, even though that was overseas, and talk about how they were taught by them and what that was like."
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Ms Selvakumaran won the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award last year, was part of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement in Norway last year, completed a study tour in Singapore and co-presented her findings to the NSW Department of Education and did a masters-level subject in education research.
She said the international recognition has given her the chance to work with other leading teachers and highlighted the importance of teachers being involved in policy decisions.
"I completed a post-graduate last year and it really strengthened my passion and belief that we as teachers need to be able to contribute to research and influence policy, for teachers to be an active part of that and be able to bring that back to schools," Ms Selvakumaran said.
Ms Selvakumaran will travel to Dubai next month for the announcement of the winner of the $1 million prize on March 24.