The 2019 global Teacher Prize victor Petr Tabichi met US President Donald Trump on Monday ahead of his special address at the United Nations Assembly (UN) in New York.
The White House lauded Tabichi for his selfless nature: giving away 80 percent of his salary to help needy students.
“His dedication, hard work, and belief in his student’s talent has led his poorly resourced school in Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions. Peter, you inspire us all! Thank you for your commitment to your students,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
Tabichi, a Mathematics and Science teacher from Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Nakuru is in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
He will address the 74th UN session in New York to give insight into how he managed to excel as a teacher in a community where poverty is widespread.
Some of his students have represented Kenya at global competitions and won the Ksh.202,000 U.N. Sustainable Development Goal Award in May.
The 36-year-old attributes his success to his father who he described as ‘generous with his pupils and his time.’
“His dedication to the community convinced me that teaching was the most important job I could do,” Tabichi said.
He won the Varkey Foundation $1 million (Ksh.100 million) Global Teacher Prize in March this year.
Since then, he has been invited as a speaker to global summits in South Africa, Botswana, Argentina, Chile, Columbia and the U.S.
Tabichi is a member of the Franciscan religious order, a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the early 13th century by St. Francis of Assisi
