A teacher who goes above the call of duty

Hardworking, humble, intelligent and kind are some of the words used by colleagues to describe Brother Peter Mokaya Tabichi who won the 2019 Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize on Sunday.

The 36-year-old is a member of the Franciscan Brothers, an order in the Catholic Church.

The mathematics and physics teacher at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village, Nakuru County made Kenya and Africa shine when he bagged the $1 million (about Sh2.2bn) prize, beating nine other contenders.

Improve grades

The panel praised him for donating 80 per cent of his salary to help needy students as well as families in Pwani village, and his ability to make learners love science.

Colleagues say his dedication, passion to teaching and his humility are unrivalled.

“Bro Tabichi’s belief in his students has made our poorly equipped school perform well in national science competitions,” Mr Benjamin Buluku, a mathematics and chemistry teacher said.

“He revamped the science club and became our role model.”

When the Nation team visited the school recently, students, teachers and villagers were celebrating his achievements.

His students say he has devised ways of improving grades in the subjects he teaches. “Bro Tabichi is humble and committed to his work. Apart from teaching, he spares time to advise and inspire us,” Dennis Ngige, a Form Four student, said.

Though winning came as a surprise, the learners and the school administration say it is well deserved.

“Bro Tabichi has made use of the few available resources to improve performance in the sciences. The school has one lab and rundown classrooms,” the school’s deputy principal, Mr John Njoroge, said.

Teachers rarely remain in the school for a year due to the harsh conditions in the dry area, he said. “The school was started nine years ago and we have done well. We have 12 teachers.”

School Board of Management chairman Dan Muchiri described Bro Tabichi as a saviour.

Changing lives

“It is not a win for Keriko Secondary School only, but for the entire continent. We are delighted. It is a testament that as a country, we are poised for greatness,” Prof Muchiri said.

Mr Daniel Mwariri, the principal, attended the Dubai event.

Parents and area residents interviewed said Bro Tabichi has lived up to the school motto: “Changing Lives Through Education”.

Bro Tabichi is praised for starting a talent nurturing club. More than 60 per cent of students’ projects qualify for the Kenya Science Engineering fair.

“In 2017, the school participated in the National Science and Engineering event. One of our projects was an innovation on electricity production using plant extracts,” a teacher at the school said.

The school was ranked second in the 56th national fair while its mathematics project emerged the best, thanks to Bro Tabichi’s work.

The Nation has learnt that some Keriko students will take part in the 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona, the United States.

Hundreds of kilometres away, celebrations rocked Bro Tabichi’s rural home in Mokorong’osi village, Nyamira County.

Most of the friar’s relatives are teachers.“His father was a teacher and so are most of his uncles. We are very happy and we thank God for this win,” Ms Naom Moraa, a relative, said.

Bro Tabichi’s mother died when he was just 11, leaving his father with the tough task of taking care of him and his siblings.

Tell us about your childhood. What is that one memory that stands out?

In school, I went through a number of challenges, challenges that some of my students are going through, such as lack of books and stationery. Thinking back, the lessons I picked from my father have been my guiding light. He taught me to be humble, resilient, generous and God- fearing. This inspired me to perceive a teacher’s role as one to enlighten others on how to tackle various problems.

What drives you?: First, I believe that to be a great teacher, you have to be creative, embrace technology and modern teaching methods. Equally, you have to do more and talk less. Second, I believe that every learner has a unique talent which should be nurtured by a teacher. Educators make great contribution to the community, that is why four of my colleagues and I go the extra mile and offer free after-school tuition to low achieving learners. During the weekend, I visit my students’ homes, especially those whose performance is poor, and engage their parents to find out what challenges could be hindering good performance. It has paid off.

Besides what is provided in the curriculum, what other roles can teachers play to empower learners?

I have observed, in my 12 years of teaching, that learners have varying needs, partly due to their different backgrounds. Teachers should therefore go beyond classroom teaching and play other important roles such as counselling, promoting research/innovations, being the students’ role models and nurturing their talents. It is also important for them to promote values such as resilience, empathy, sharing and respect.

You dedicate a big portion of your salary to serve the community…

Yes. I belong to Franciscan Brothers, a religious order within the Catholic church. Austerity is our way of life. We believe that sharing and generosity foster freedom from proprietary attachments and instincts.

What do you enjoy most about what you do and what are some of the challenges you encounter?

When teaching, I like to incorporate ICT in my classes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the lesson at hand. It therefore gives me immense joy to see the students being able to use different online platforms for research. It is not easy though, there are various challenges such as poor internet connectivity, frequent power outage and inadequate facilities. For instance, all upper primary classes (grade 4 to grade 8) depend on one desktop computer and one projector.

When it is all said and done, what do you want to be remembered for?

That I dedicated myself to serving my community without withholding material resources, including my income. I would also like to be remembered for my dedication, hard work and passionate belief in my students’ talents and abilities.