A Kenyan high school principal has been voted as the best teacher on the continent.
Othaya Girls Principal Jane Kimiti was conferred with the 2020 African Union Continental Teacher of the Year award in recognition of her contributions to the education sector.
She was announced as the winner of the prestigious award during a ceremony held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday.
Kimiti earned recognition for her quality teaching and engagement that result in high standards of achievement from her students. She was also lauded for nurturing good behavior among learners using positive feedback and other methods.
In 2019, teacher Kimiti was awarded for her outstanding innovation which enabled the integration of ICT in daily learning in her school.
She is also celebrated for encouraging students to engage in activities that enhance the social and cultural value of education, and for helping them attain their carrier goals by organizing interaction between learners and relevant parties.
Further to these, the principal is also recognized for establishing an e-learning section in the institution.
Kimiti becomes the third Kenyan teacher to win top international awards in the past two years. This month, Dickson Karanja was named among the winners in the 2020 Bett MEA Awards held in Dubai, the UAE.
Karanja, a teacher at Sacred Heart High School in Mombasa County, bagged the Bett MEA Innovation in Teaching & Learning Award, which is bestowed upon educators who have created innovative approaches to driving excellence through innovation in education within the classroom.
Last year, Peter Tabichi, a Maths and Physics teacher at Keriko Secondary School in Nakuru, made history by becoming the first African teacher to win the prestigious $1,000,000 Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.
