Amina lauds Peter Tabichi for winning Sh100 million Global Teacher Award

Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi with Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed in Dubai on Sunday. [AP]

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has congratulated a secondary school teacher who won this year's Global Teacher Prize.

Peter Tabichi was declared winner at a colourful ceremony at the Atlantis Conference Centre in Dubai.

Speaking during the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF), Ms Amina said Mr Tabichi had brought fame and glory to Kenya and the country's education sector in general.

"Tabichi was awarded the prize which is the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in Education, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in nurturing the innovative talents of his students through his own Talent Nurturing Club and for using his teaching skills to empower the entire community of Keriko, Njoro," said the former Education Cabinet secretary.

On behalf of the Government, Amina congratulated Tabichi for his exemplary performance that won him international acclaim.

"I thank the Varkey Foundation for the outstanding work in promoting the teaching profession and for initiating this award which continues to motivate teachers around the world," she said.

She also thanked Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and ruler of Dubai, for patronising the Sh100 million award, which is presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made outstanding contribution to their profession.

Tabichi, a member of the Fransiscan Brothers, is a science teacher at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Nakuru County. Through his mentorship, students developed a device that enables blind and deaf people to measure objects - a major highlight in the 2018 Kenya Science and Engineering fair.

The Keriko Secondary School Maths and Science team came first nationally in the public schools category and qualified to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2019 in Arizona, USA.

Tabichi also demonstrated his dedication to impacting the lives of his students by donating 80 per cent of his monthly income to help needy students, and by making the best of the few resources available for maximum impact.

He was the only African among the top 10 finalists for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher award from over 10,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries around the world.

"As Government, we are proud of our teachers who have continued to shape the lives of successive generations of Kenyans despite the constraints and challenges they face. We recognise and appreciate this enormous contribution," Amina said.