Kenya’s Millicent Cassianes Nominated for Global Teacher Prize

Millicent Cassianes, an educator from Kenya, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.

This recognition showcases the valuable function that educators fulfil within the community and highlights the profound impact of Cassianes’s firm devotion and loyalty in the education sector. 10 years ago, Cassianes embarked on a journey at Changamwe Secondary School in Mombasa, Kenya, where she teaches biology and chemistry. She joined a school where students were grappling with feelings of despair and a lack of confidence. Driven to make a positive change, Cassianes initiated a cultural music club that offered students a platform to express themselves, embrace diversity, and promote harmony.

The pressing issue of radicalization in the region was successfully subdued by her initiative which has become well-known nationally and has since been a regular participant in Kenya’s Music Festivals. In response to the gender imbalance in STEM fields, Cassianes created a club exclusively for Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at her school. The objective of the club is to inspire students to explore the realm of STEM. By providing education on coding and web development, Cassianes instilled a zeal for science and innovation within the students. The influence of this endeavour has been genuinely revolutionary.

Starting from scratch in 2017, Cassianes has managed to achieve a steady climb in the number of teachers trained, reaching a total of 22 by 2019. Her passion is evident in her dedication which extends beyond her own school. To date, she has managed to train over 200 teachers on ICT Infusion in nearby schools. Her unwavering commitment has accorded her widespread recognition and recently she was selected as a Microsoft Educator Expert and Trainer. This accomplishment not only highlights her commitment to her own students but also demonstrates her support for the wider teaching community. Her outstanding work has subsequently earned her a place in the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize contenders comprising a list of 50 educators. This prestigious honor is the result of over 12,000 nominations and applications from educators in more than 140 countries.

This nomination comes a year 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.