Shalom Maweu Sila, a Physics and Chemistry teacher at St Francis Misyani Girls High School in Machakos, has been shortlisted among the Top 50 finalists for the 2026 Global Teacher Prize.
Maweu is recognized for his efforts in transforming education in rural Machakos, particularly through technology-driven teaching practices, as well as girl-child empowerment practices.
He attracted public attention during the COVID-19 school closures, when he volunteered to teach online using Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Starting with just two learners, the programme delivered in collaboration with 300 volunteer teachers grew to over 10,000 weekly participants within 17 weeks.
The success of the initiative led the government, through TSC, to adopt it as a formal remote learning model, appointing him a national trainer in digital pedagogy.
At his school, he introduced virtual labs, gamified learning, livestreamed lessons, robotics, coding, and AI into classroom and after-school programmes.
Beyond the classroom, Maweu co-founded a school-based education fund supporting over 150 needy girls annually with partial scholarships, sanitary towels, and stationery.
”As a Teachers Service Commission (TSC) national champion, he has trained hundreds of teachers in digital pedagogy, supported ICT integration in schools, evaluated national livestream programmes with the World Bank, and helped retool more than 300 ICT champions across five counties,” the Global Prize described him in a statement.
He has also championed environmental education projects in biogas, solar energy and tree planting, reducing school energy costs by 30 per cent.
If he wins the Global Teacher Prize, Maweu plans to establish a makerspace and a Community ICT and Innovation Hub in Machakos to expand digital access and nurture young inventors.
The Global Teacher Prize
The Global Teacher Prize, now in its 10th year, is a $1 million (Sh130 million) award that recognises educators whose work has had a transformative impact on learners and communities.
Teachers applying for the award are assessed on teaching practices, how they innovate to address local challenges, achieve demonstrable learning outcomes, impact the community beyond the classroom, help children become global citizens, improve the teaching profession, and gain recognition from external bodies.
Nominations of teachers are open to the worldwide public, and teachers can also nominate themselves.
The 2026 edition winner will be announced at the World Governments Summit, taking place in Dubai from 3-5 February 2026.
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