Peter Tabichi, the Kenyan science teacher who won the US$1 million(100million) Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019 has been appointed as the first “Champion for Children in Conflicts and Crisis” for Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in crisis.
Tabichi will champion the cause of the 75 million children whose education is disrupted by conflicts and natural disasters.
Travelling to the world’s most crisis-affected children and with planned engagements at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly and other high-level events, it is hoped his inspiring story and powerful voice will help raise the urgency on the world stage to invest in the future of children in crisis.
He will join actors Will Smith and Rachel Brosnahan who are advocates for Education Cannot Wait’s cause.
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of Education Cannot Wait’s High-Level Steering Group, has described Tabichi as an inspiration to all involved in teaching and learning, and said he is looking forward to working with him.
Vikas Pota, Chairman of the Varkey Foundation said: “Every day a child is out of education is not just a tragedy for the child, it is a tragedy for the world they will inherit. To tackle the education crisis, most severe in those places plagued by conflict and natural disaster, it is vital that we learn from teachers like Peter Tabichi, who are working on the front line to give young people born into the most challenging circumstances the skills they need to face the future with confidence."
Tabichi did not hide his joy of being appointed.
“The students I teach see true hardships every day, from poverty to drought and hunger. But I also see in them raw talent and great creativity, hard work, a determination to defy the odds, and be the best they can be. Every child, everywhere in the world deserves the chance to fulfil their full potential,” he said.
“It is heart-breaking to know that 75 million children around the world see their educational chances disrupted by conflict and natural disasters. Education Cannot Wait is doing vital work to make sure these children are not left behind. It will be my great honour to help them ensure children whose lives have been blighted by war and catastrophe are given their birth right; a decent education.”
Tabichi ,36, a Maths and Physics teacher at Keriko Secondary School, Pwani Village in Nakuru County gives away 80 per cent of his monthly income to help the poor.
His dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his students’ talent has led his poorly-resourced school in remote rural Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions.”
