A secondary school teacher in Samburu County was included in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018.
The Global Teacher Prize recognises exceptional teachers who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and comes with a Sh100 Million reward.
Abdikadir Ismail, who teaches Kiswahili and History at Mwangaza Muslim Mixed Day School in Maralal sub-county, was selected from over 30,000 nominations and applications from 173 countries around the world.
[caption caption="Abdikadir Ismail"]
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Since his school lacks modern equipment, Ismail sent teachers to schools with laboratories and got video footage that he would later use at his local school via PowerPoint presentations.
He also uses Skype to help his colleagues and students interact with their counterparts in Malaysia on a joint project on the collection of Oxygen and Carbon (IV) Oxide.
Ismail revealed that he was reluctant to apply for the award but a friend convinced him and he went ahead with the suggestion.
“Honestly, to say that I am excited will be an understatement. When my colleague from Microsoft asked me to apply for this, I just texted him back to thank him for thinking highly of me, but I laughed it off.
"I just didn’t know. I am elated to have made it among the Top 50,” he remarked.
Mr Ismail will, however, face stiff competition from other nominees from 33 countries who also made the cut.
The top 50 shortlisted teachers will be narrowed down to 10 finalists by a Prize Committee in February 2018 and the winner will then be chosen by the Global Teacher Prize Academy in March.
[caption caption="File Photo of the Global Teacher Prize"]
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