A Franciscan monk from rural Kenya who gives away 80 per cent of his income to community projects has been crowned the world’s best teacher and awarded a $US1 million prize.
Peter Tabichi. PICTURE: Courtesy of the Varkey Foundation.
Peter Tabichi, 36, teaches maths and physics at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village in the Rift Valley. Selected from 10 finalists from around the world, he was presented with the annual Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize by actor Hugh Jackman on Saturday.
According to the Varkey Foundation, Tabichi has “changed the lives of his students in many ways, including the introduction of science clubs and the promotion of peace between different ethnic groups and religions”.
“He has also helped to address food insecurity among the wider community in the famine-prone Rift Valley,” said a statement on the organisation’s website, noting that 80 per cent of his salary goes to projects focusing on areas such as education, sustainable agriculture and peace-building.
Tabichi said the school, which only has one computer and a teacher-student ratio of 58:1, is in a very remote area.
“Most of the students come from very poor families,” he said. “Even affording breakfast is hard. They’re not able to concentrate, because they haven’t had enough meals at home.”
Tabichi said that to be a great teacher “you have to be creative and embrace technology”.
“You really have to embrace those modern ways of teaching. You have to do more and talk less.”
