Millicent Cassianes, a Kenyan teacher, has been nominated for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize in 2023.
Her selection came after a rigorous procedure in which she beat out over 7,000 nominations and applicants from over 130 countries, all seeking for the prestigious Sh148,500,000 ($1 million) prize.
Cassianes is one of 50 people shortlisted for the prize. She teaches at the BL Tezza Special School for the Deaf in Karunga, Kenya.
She has dealt with special needs pupils since she began working for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
She opted to get hospital training in how to care for those with support requirements after meeting students with severe hearing loss and illnesses at an orphanage.
She opted to get hospital training in how to care for those with support requirements after meeting students with severe hearing loss and illnesses at an orphanage.
Cassianes enrolled at the BL Tezza Special School for the Deaf after taking Kenyan Sign Language training.
In addition to receiving donations from various organizations, such as the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya, she obtained a bank loan to fund the school’s construction.
After encountering students with severe hearing loss and infections at an orphanage, she decided to receive hospital training in how to care for those with support needs.
After enrolling in Kenyan Sign Language classes, Cassianes enrolled in the BL Tezza Special School for the Deaf.
In addition to obtaining donations from various organizations, such as the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya, she also took out a bank loan to finance the construction of the school.
The school is currently home to over 120 hearing-impaired students and implements a competency-based curriculum.
The competition which is in its eighth year now, receives tens of thousands of entries and nominations from around the world and is considered the “Nobel Prize in Teaching”.
The prize will now be narrowed down to the top ten finalists, who will be announced later this year, helping to raise the bar of respect for the teaching profession.
The Global Teacher Prize Academy, comprised of prominent individuals, will select the winner from the top ten finalists, who will be announced later this year.
This nomination comes two years after another Kenyan teacher, Peter Tabichi, won the Global Teacher Prize in 2019.
Tabichi, a mathematics and physics teacher, used this platform to advocate for STEM learning among African youth. Regardless of the outcome, Cassianes’s story will continue to inspire educators worldwide and highlight the crucial role that teachers play in shaping the future of young people.
The Global Teacher Prize is organized in collaboration with UNESCO and in partnership with Dubai Cares, a global philanthropic organization based in the United Arab Emirates.
