Kenyan teacher Millicent Cassianes nominated for Global Teachers Prize

A Kenyan teacher has been nominated for the prestigious Global Teachers Prize, one again shining the spotlight on the country.

Millicent Cassianes stands to bag $1 million (Ksh148 million), following closely in the footsteps of Peter Tabichi who emerged winner in 2019. The award recognises teachers making outstanding contributions in their profession.

The Pupil 1 teacher doubling up as founder of BL Tezza Special School for the Deaf has been nominated alongside 49 others from across the world.

Ms Cassianes is recognised for her efforts to enhance the inclusion of children with impaired hearing in her village on the shores of Lake Victoria to access education for them to stand a better chance of navigating life.

“Unesco is a proud partner of the Global Teacher Prize, because teachers deserve our great recognition. They inspire and prepare children and youth to navigate a rapidly evolving world,” said Unesco Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini.

Finalists were selected from thousands of applicants from across the world.

Among the finalists from Africa are James Kidiga David (Tanzania), Therese Mabaka Angelani (DRC), Eric Asomani Asante (Ghana), Stephanie Akinwoya (Nigeria) and Mokolwane Masweneng (South Africa).

Cassianes, who holds a Degree in Inclusive Education, Guidance and Counselling from Kenya Methodist University, took a bank loan to buy land to build BL Tezza Special School for the Deaf.

She then networked and lobbied to secure generous donations and support from Italian human development and health NGO PRO.Sa, the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya and Cornelia Foundation to help build a dormitory, twin classroom and greenhouses.

The school currently hosts 120 children with impaired hearing, where they are taught about the environment, and they also engage in tree planting.

The learners run school projects including vegetable and poultry farming where they derive their food and transfer those same skills to their home environment.

If she wins the award, Cassaines will be the second Kenyan to triumph after Tabichi who became the first African to win the prize in 2019.

The 2023 finalists were nominated on the basis of their efforts for inclusivity and for child rights, integration of migrants into classrooms, and nurturing their students’ abilities and confidence.