The unstoppable educator: An interview with Hoda Soliman

"I’ll retire when I’m dead," she laughs. "As long as I am on my two legs walking and breathing, I will continue."

This unwavering drive is exactly why Hoda was honoured with the 2026 Pearson International School Teacher Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognises her career spent pioneering systemic change and fostering critical thinking in thousands of students. For Hoda, however, it is far from a finishing line. Rather, she views this recognition as a moment to pause, reflect and then immediately return to the work at hand - ensuring the next generation is prepared for the challenges of an evolving world.

After achieving so much and influencing so many, how does Hoda keep going? We spoke to her about being an unstoppable educator.

From engineer to a successful career in education

Hoda’s career in education did not follow a linear path. After training as an electronics engineer she spent a few years raising her young family in England, where her husband worked as a doctor. She admits that she never expected to start working in schools.

After returning with her family to Egypt in the early 1980s, and while trying to enroll her son at Manor House School, the principal asked if she would consider teaching English. Though she first took the job because she wasn't sure what else to do, she soon realised she was a natural at it.

"I was born to do what I am doing," she reflects. "From a teacher in the first year to a head of department in the second year, it went so quickly." Within a decade, that early momentum had carried her all the way to principal.

She credits her rapid rise not just to skill, but to a simple, innate desire: "I don't want to keep anything to myself," she says. "I want to tell you everything I know. I find great pleasure in doing that."

Pioneering International GCSEs in Egypt

In the early 1990s, Hoda recognised a critical need to modernise the educational framework in Egypt. As part of her school's leadership team, she took the bold step of introducing the International GCSE system.

"What attracted me [to this curriculum] was students using their brains - not relying on learning by heart," she notes. A major plus of the curriculum was the way students were encouraged to think for themselves and solve problems, rather than just memorising facts.

This shift towards critical thinking helped prepare students not just for exams, but for global success. Many of her former students have since gone on to become prominent professionals abroad, often returning to Egypt to contribute their expertise back to the country.

That cycle plays out inside Manor House itself, too. Around six current teachers are former students of the school. Among them are Nahla and Mona, both biology teachers, Nermeen, who teaches computer science, and Passant, who teaches maths. "It's beautiful when they come back," Hoda says.

But while curriculum and modern standards were essential, Hoda quickly realised that systemic success was only half the battle; the true engine of the school was the human connection she built with her team.  

How high standards and deep affection work together

Managing a school with more than 1,200 students requires both rigour and empathy. Hoda is known for being demanding, but she maintains that her leadership style is rooted in a deep love for her staff and students. This creates a school culture where, she says, staff turnover is close to zero.

"I am very strict and very demanding," she explains. But she is quick to clarify that this rigour is tempered by affection: "I love them, and, in turn, they do their work out of love, not simply as a job."

That rigour comes with high expectations attached: she describes herself as someone who settles for nothing, telling staff directly to keep working on themselves because there is always a better way of doing the job. It's a standard she applies to herself as much as to anyone else.

Her deep commitment is just as visible day to day. She's the first to arrive at school each morning, often before 7:30am - "people are really shocked," she says. Asked why, her answer is simple: "This is what I have to do. This is what I want to do. This is what I love to do." She's open with staff about what she knows, too, sharing her knowledge and expertise rather than holding things back or keeping her methods to herself.

With students, Hoda sees her job as guiding rather than deciding for them: showing them the possibilities and leaving the choice, and its consequences, up to them. "What drives me is the look on the students' faces when they see that I’m at their back," she explains. She is sustained by the fact they can rely on her: she admits that the day students stop needing her in that way is the day her passion for the work would fade.  

The importance of lifelong learning

Despite her decades of experience and the prestigious Pearson International School Teacher Award on her shelf, Hoda refuses to slow down. She makes sure to engage with modern technology and AI, driven by a desire to stay relevant and keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

This instinct comes from her father, a renowned academic who taught her that there is no end to improvement. She still holds herself to that standard today: "If a young Hoda were to come into my office now, I don't want her to be able to defeat me. I want to be stronger."

She credits her energy to the people around her, saying that her students and younger colleagues keep her going simply by being there. As for retirement, she's dismissive of the idea altogether: the award, she insists, marks a point in an ongoing career, not the end of one. "As long as I'm in good health, I will continue,” she insists. “Nothing will stop me."

It's easy to see how Hoda's energy, drive and refusal to settle has brought her to this place in her career. But her story goes beyond personal accolades or institutional change. The heart of her story is a sense of purpose, and for Hoda that comes down to one thing: "Love," she says. "That's what it takes to achieve success in anything. If you love what you do, you will always find your way."  

Further reading

Read more about the 2026 winners in the Pearson International School Teacher Awards.