Brother Peter Tabichi, a Franciscan friar who teaches maths and science in rural Kenya, gives away 80 per cent of his salary to support poorer students in his community. Last week he won one of the world’s richest prizes: the prestigious $1 million Global Teacher Prize, awarded by the Varkey Foundation.

The 36-year-old teacher at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village in Nakuru insisted that the prize was “not about the money”, but rather about giving his students a chance to raise their horizons. “As a teacher working on the front line, I have seen the promise of young people – their curiosity, their talent, their intelligence, their belief,” he said. “Africa’s young people will no longer be held back by low expectations. Africa will produce scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs whose names will one day be famous in every corner of the world.”