APeter Tabichi, a Franciscan Brother who gives away 80 percent of his monthly earnings to the poor, won a $1 million prize Saturday in Dubai for his dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his students’ talent.

A math and physics teacher, Tabichi works at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani Village, a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley.

He said he intends to donate his prize money to support the school.

Drought and famine are frequent in the region. About 95 percent of the students are from poor families, almost a third are orphans or have one parent, and many go without food at home, according to a Catholic News Agency press release. The town struggles with drug abuse and violence, according to Tabichi’s profile at the Varney Foundation. Teenage pregnancies, young marriages, dropping out and suicide are common. 

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Under Tabichi’s instruction, girls’ tests scores have increased, students have competed successfully in national and international science competitions, and more students have been able to attend college.

Seeing my learners grow in knowledge, skills and confidence is my greatest joy in teaching! When they become resilient, creative and productive in the society, I get a lot of satisfaction for I act as their greatest destiny enabler and key that unlocks their potential in the most exciting manner.

The Global Teacher Prize aims to raise the status of the teaching profession by creating a “Nobel Prize” for teaching — part of an effort to address what experts describe as a global learning crisis.

Tabichi accepted the prize at a star-studded ceremony at the Global Education & Skills Forum in Dubai hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman. The prize and the forum are funded by the Varkey Foundation. The philanthropic arm of the international GEMS private school chain, the foundation was started in 2010 by Indian businessman Sunny Varkey.

This is the first time the prize has gone to a teacher from a low-income country. Tabichi beat out 10,000 nominees and nine finalists from countries including India, Brazil, Japan, the U.K. and U.S.

The Keriko School in Pwani Village has a student-teacher ratio of 58:1,
just one desktop computer for students and poor internet. Tabichi often walks four miles to a cyber-cafe to download educational material for his lessons. He uses ICT in 80 percent of his lessons to engage students, the foundation said.

Tabichi’s students participated in the Kenya Science and Engineering Fair 2018, showcasing a device they invented to allow blind and deaf people to measure objects. The school won first place nationally in the public schools category. The Mathematical Science team also qualified to participate at the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 in Arizona. His students also won an award from The Royal Society of Chemistry after harnessing local plant life to generate electricity.

In 2017, 16 out of 59 students at the school went on to college or university. In 2018, that grew to 26 students. Oh and one more thing. The girls beat the boys in all four tests set in the last year.

“This prize does not recognize me but recognizes this great continent’s young people,” Tabichi said in a statement. “I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that we can do anything.”