Peter Tabichi: meet the best teacher in the world
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The Kenyan was awarded with the Global Teacher Prize on March 23
Peter Tabichi is the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2019, an award given by the Varkey Foundation that seeks to annually recognize an educator who has contributed to his profession in an unbeatable way. Peter was selected among the 10 finalists, among whom were two Latin American teachers, and took the prize of 1 million dollars in an award attended by the most important figures of education around the world in the Global Forum of Education and Skills The Australian actor Hugh Jackman directed the ceremony.
Leer en español: Peter Tabichi: conozca al mejor maestro del mundo
Amid tears and shouts of joy, Tabichi received the trophy from the hands of the Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and Sunny Varkey. Next to him were the finalists, who between hugs and applause helped him raise the trophy. Tabichi looked like he could not believe it and his smile did not go away for a moment; not only had he left his country or been on a plane for the first time, but he was also receiving the most important award in the field of education.
Tabichi is also a Brother of the Franciscan Order, donates 80% of his salary to the community and teaches at the Kerico Mixed Day public school in Pwani Village, located in Kenya's Rift. This site is one of the most vulnerable and poor in the country. According to the official website of the Global Teacher Prize, 95% of students come from families living in extreme poverty, and approximately one third are orphans or have only one parent. Situations such as adolescent pregnancies, suicides, excessive drug use and early school leaving are the daily bread in this region. Also, conflicts between tribes make the school environment a hostile environment, according to the same source.
All this led Tabichi to seek a change for his school where there was only one computer, and the number of students became overpopulated since a teacher had to teach about 80 students in a very small space. His idea was to encourage students to participate more in their education, thus forming a Science Club in which students design research projects. With this, he managed that the students involved in competitions at the national level.
Read also: These are the 2 Latin finalists for the World's Best Teacher Prize
They participated in the Science Fair in Kenya where they presented a device for blind and deaf people to measure objects, created a project where they used vegetable matter to generate electricity that led them to obtain the Royal Society of Chemistry award and now they are preparing to participate in the INTEL 2019 International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona, USA. UU.
The teacher also created a peace club where students from different tribes, religious and ideological beliefs meet to dialogue and resolve conflicts based on empathy. These dialogues have not remained in the school environment, since they have extended to the community. This has been of great help in a place where after 12 years there are still vestiges of one of the many massacres that occurred throughout Kenya in the crisis of 2007 and 2008 for the renewal of the mandate of Mwai Kibaki.
The faith that Tabichi put in his students has borne fruit throughout Africa and is now globally recognized.
LatinAmrican Post | Vanesa López Romero
Translated from "Peter Tabichi: conozca al mejor maestro del mundo"
