By Ng’wono Bw’Otwere
A Physics and Chemistry teacher Shalom Maweu Sila from Machakos County has been named among the Top 50 finalists for the 2025 Global Teacher Prize.
The recognition places Mr. Sila, who teaches at St Francis Misyani Girls High School in Kangundo, among the world’s most impactful educators, ahead of the final announcement set for February 2026 in Dubai.
He is the only Kenyan to make this year’s shortlist, selected from thousands of nominees worldwide.
Often dubbed the “Nobel Prize for Teaching,” the Global Teacher Prize honours educators whose work transforms lives far beyond the classroom.
For Mr. Sila, the nomination caps an extraordinary year. Earlier in 2025, he emerged First Runners-Up at the African Union Continental Best Teacher Award.
In October, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recognised him nationally during World Teachers’ Day celebrations for exemplary service.
Since joining the school in 2014, Mr. Sila has steadily reshaped how girls in rural Machakos experience science.
Physics enrolment at the school has climbed from just 9 per cent in 2016 to more than 40 per cent in 2025, the highest growth in the county.
Influence beyond classroom
His approach blends technology with curiosity, using virtual laboratories such as Harvard University’s LabXchange, alongside simulations, videos, robotics, coding and Artificial Intelligence, all anchored in problem-based and inquiry-driven learning.
His influence reached national scale during the COVID-19 school closures, when he volunteered to teach online through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
What began as lessons for two students quickly grew into sessions attracting more than 10,000 learners weekly within 17 weeks.
The success of the initiative led the government, through TSC, to adopt the model as a formal remote learning programme, with Mr. Sila appointed a national trainer in digital pedagogy.
Beyond academics, he co-founded a school-based education fund supporting over 150 needy girls each year with partial scholarships, sanitary towels and learning materials.
He has also championed sustainability projects, including biogas systems, solar energy and tree planting, reducing the school’s energy costs by 30 per cent.
Today, more than 50 former students from the school are pursuing STEM-related courses, many returning to mentor younger girls and challenge the belief that science belongs to men. Speaking after the announcement,
“The honour belonged to teachers across Kenya working under difficult conditions,” the teacher said.
If he wins the prize, he plans to establish a makerspace and a Community ICT and Innovation Hub in Machakos to nurture young innovators.