Kenya has earned a pride position in the global map: One of its teachers has bagged the coveted the 2019 Global Teacher Prize winner. Accolades have come to the winner, the 37 –year old Peter Tabichi. Among them included a photo opportunity with US President Donald Trump ahead of his special address at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The White House communique issued recognizing the contributions of Tabichi as a teacher says he is an inspiration to Americans for his hard work and commitment to his students. Also, White House tweeted images of the 37-year-old science teacher’s meeting with President Trump. The communique hailed his dedication, hard work and belief in his students’ talent, which has led his poorly resourced school in Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions. Tabichi, a Catholic priest and a member of the Franciscan Friars, amazed the world with his commitment to nurturing the academic abilities of his students, majority of whom come from poor backgrounds.
Recognizing his trailblazing contributions as a torchbearer of education of the poor and disadvantaged, he has been appointed as the champion for children in conflicts by the London-based Varky Foundation, which has a string of charitable organizations, that are focused on improving the standards of education of underprivileged. A number of Kenyans took to social media to congratulate Tabichi, who is a science teacher from rural Kenya. He donates most of his salary to help poorer students. He is awarded a $1m prize and was selected from a huge number of nominations of over 10,000 from 179 countries. He teaches at Keriko secondary school in Pwani Village, in a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley. He donates most of his salary to help poorer students.
With one old computer, a poor internet connection and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1, Tabichi initiated a talent nurturing club. Soon, he expanded the school’s science club, helping pupils design research projects of such quality that many now qualify for national competitions. Many of his students have taken part in international science competitions and won award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after harnessing local plant life to generate electricity. He also gives struggling pupils one-to-one tuition in mathematics and science, visiting students’ homes and meeting their families to identify the challenges they face. The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, in a video message gave rich compliments to the outstanding teacher and called him a role model of humanity by telling; “Peter, your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent.”
