Science teacher from Kenya wins global award

Science teacher Peter Tobichi from Kenya, has won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize as the best teacher. The prize is worth of $1million and the competition is intended to raise the status of the teaching profession. The competition is organised  by the Varkey Foundation.

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The science teacher of rural Kenya, and a member of the Franciscan religious order, gives away most of his salary to support poorer pupils.

Peter Tabichi, a member of the Franciscan religious order, won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize.

Peter Tabichi has been praised for his immense contribution to a deprived school with crowded classes and few text books.

Peter Tabichi hailed the potential of Africa’s youthful population after winning the prize.

The teaching status

He spends 80% of his salary to support pupils who could not afford uniforms or books at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani Village, Nakuru of Kenya. Many of the pupils trek a long distance of more than four miles on bad roads to get to the school.

The 36-year-old science teacher intends raising aspirations and promoting the cause of science education, not just in Kenya but across African continent.

Brother Peter, who sees the award as an optimistic sign, says he is ever committed to give the children in the region a chance to learn about science and to raise their standard.

The challenge of the science teacher

He says that the classes are overcrowded as classes meant to have 35 to 40 pupils are taught in groups of 70 or 80. The overcrowded classroom situation causes problems for teachers.

He has to travel to a nearest cyber-cafe a far distance away from the school to download resources for his science lessons because of lack of a reliable internet connection in the school.

Brother Peter Tabichi says that convincing the local community to pay attention to education, changing the minds of families who requires their daughters to get married at a tender age  and visiting homes whose children are risk of school drop-out has been the biggest challenges to his teaching profession.

He was congratulated by Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyan President.

It was won last year by an art teacher from north London, Andria Zafirakou. Among this year’s top 10 finalists has been Andrew Moffat, head teacher from Birmingham who is at the centre of a disagreement with parents about lessons on LGBT rights.

Posted: March 27, 2019, | Category: International News