Peter Tabichi
Peter Mokaya Tabichi, OFM (born 1982) is a Kenyan science teacher and Franciscan friar at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani, Nakuru County. He is the winner of the 2019 Global Teacher Prize.
Peter Mokaya Tabichi, OFM | |
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![]() Tabichi visiting the Oval Office, 2019 | |
Born | 1982 (age 37–38) |
Alma mater | Egerton University |
Occupation | Teacher |
Parent(s) | Lawrence Tabichi |
Awards | Global Teacher Prize (2019) |
Early life and education
Tabichi was born in rural Kenya.[1] He said he was inspired to become a teacher because of his family, "I admired the impact they had in the society, and wanted to better their script".[2] He started his teaching career in a private school.[2]
Career
Tabichi is a Franciscan friar. He joined the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in 2016, where he teaches maths and physics.[3] The school is a semi-arid village in the Rift Valley Province, a region impacted by famine and drought.[4][5] Tabichi donates 80% of his salary to supporting pupils in the Pwani Village.[6] The school population is made up of seven different tribes, with around 95% of students living in poverty and one third live with only one parent.[7] Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School only has one computer, intermittent access to the internet and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1.[7][8][9] Tabichi launched the Talent Nurturing Club, which has dramatically improved attendance.[7] He also established a peace club, uniting representatives who have been involved with violence.[10] He engages with local communities; teaching residents how to grow crops that can resist famine.[10] Tabichi and his students work on renewable energy and devices which can support people with disabilities.[8] Under Tabichi's influence, his students have reached the finals of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry.[10][11][12] In only a couple of years, Tabichi has doubled the number of students attending university.[11]
In 2019 Tabichi was awarded the $1 million Global Teacher Prize.[7][13][14][15][16] The award receives over 10,000 nominations.[17] Tabichi travelled on an aeroplane for the first time to collect the prize in Dubai.[17] He was presented the prize from Hugh Jackman, and congratulated by Uhuru Kenyatta:[18]
"Peter – your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent. Your students have shown that they can compete amongst the best in the world in science, technology and all fields of human endeavour.”[19]
On winning the prize, Tabichi said;
"Africa will produce scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs whose names will be one day famous in every corner of the world. And girls will be a huge part of this story,"[20]
In April 2019, Tabichi was appointed as Champion for Children in Conflicts and Crisis.[21]
References
- "Kenyan teacher wins $1 million global teaching prize". The National. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Chebet, Caroline. "Peter Tabichi: World's best teacher donates 80% of his salary to the poor". Standard Digital News. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "Franciscan Brothers Mountbellew". Franciscan Brothers — Mountbellew. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "World's best teacher can call any time, says last year's winner". Evening Standard. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Press, The Associated (2019-03-24). "Kenyan Teacher Who Aids Poor Wins $1 Million Global Prize". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Coughlan, Sean (2019-03-24). "Kenyan science teacher wins global prize". Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Dockrill, Peter. "Kenyan Science Teacher Who Gives 80% of His Salary Away Just Won a $1M Global Prize". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "Global Teacher Prize: Man who gives away 80% of his salary wins $1m award". 2BR. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi wins global prize". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "A Kenyan monk who gave away most of his earnings just won a $1 million teaching prize". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Andrew Watt (2019-02-22). "Kenyan and British teachers make Global Teaching Prize top 10". Brits in Kenya. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Global Education & Skills Forum (2019-03-24), A World where Every Class is a Masterclass - Peter Tabichi, retrieved 2019-03-25
- TES News (2019-03-24), Peter Tabichi wins the Global Teacher Prize, retrieved 2019-03-25
- "Global Teacher Prize: Man who gives away 80% of his salary wins $1m award". Sky News. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Madison Park. "Kenyan teacher who gives away 80% of his salary awarded $1M global prize". CNN. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- "Peter Tabichi, prof de maths au Kenya et " meilleur enseignant du monde "" (in French). 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- iAfrica (2019-03-25). "Africa Top10 News". iAfrica.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Bahari News Kenya (2019-03-24), UHURU KENYATTA CONGRATULATES KENYAN TEACHER WHO WON KSH 100 MILLION GLOBAL TEACHER AWARD, retrieved 2019-03-25
- "Franciscan friar from remote Kenya village wins global teaching award - 24/7 Catholic News". The home of Catholic news and comment from the UK. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Otte, Jedidajah (2019-03-24). "Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi wins $1m global award". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- Wanzala, James. "Global teacher prize winner Peter Tabichi gets new appointment". The Standard.