DUBAI: A Kenyan science teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor and tutored students on the weekends won a $1 million prize on Sunday that honours one exceptional educator from around the world.

Peter Tabichi teaches in the semi-arid village of Pwani where almost a third of children are orphans or have only one parent, and where drought and famine are frequent. Classrooms are poorly equipped and the school, which teaches students between 11 and 16 years-old, has just one computer with intermittent Internet access.

He was selected out of out 10,000 applicants for the Global Teacher Prize.

Not only was it Tabichi’s first time on an airplane coming to Dubai, but he was awarded during a ceremony hosted by actor Hugh Jackman. Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize.

Despite the grave obstacles faced by Tabichi’s students, he’s credited with helping many stay in school, qualify for international competitions in science and engineering and go on to college.

In his acceptance speech, Tabichi said his mother died when he was just 11 years old, leaving his father, a primary school teacher, with the job of raising him and his siblings alone.

Tabichi thanked his father for instilling Christian values in him, then pointed to his father in the audience, invited him up on stage and handed him the award to hold as the room erupted in applause and cheers.

Now in its fifth year, the prize is the largest of its kind. It’s become one of the most coveted and prestigious for teachers.

The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs 55 schools in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019