Nairobi News

HashtagNews

World’s ‘best teacher’ Peter Tabichi meets Pope Francis in Rome


Peter Tabichi, the Kenyan and world’s best teacher in 2019, says he is awed by the humility displayed by Pope Francis.

Tabichi spoke on Wednesday after a meeting with the head of the Roman Catholic Church at the latter’s residence in Rome.

“I was inspired by the great humility of the Pope,” the teacher later shared on Twitter.

“During the meeting at Santra Marta in Rome, he (the Pope) told me: ‘Pray for me, brother!’ I too replied: ‘Pray for us and all the teachers’. May the new year be filled with new hope, new joy, and new beginnings.”

Tabichi, a teacher at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Nakuru County, emerged the overall winner of Global Teacher Prize in 2019. The feat earned him Sh100 million.

This award, courtesy of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, rewards teachers for being real champions of change and inspiring millions of learners across the globe.

Besides inspiring his students to succeed with few resources and equipment, Tabichi, a Catholic Franciscan Brother who teaches chemistry and mathematics, was recognised for giving away 80 percent of his monthly salary to help the poor.