One of the most inspiring events in life is being declared the best practitioner in one’s area of professionalism.
This particularly is true for Paul Nyamita, who is now an acclaimed English and Literature teacher after winning the University World Award for the best teacher of English in the country (2023) at Kenyatta University on January 27, 2024.
The soft-spoken Kisumu Girls High School teacher eclipsed hundreds of other competitors through online voting in the months of October and November last year.
According to Nyamita, he did not know that he would emerge the best given that the competition was very stiff from the onset.
Nyamita said that the judges looked at so many things before declaring the winners, some of which included KCSE performance, the candidate’s school for the last 5 consecutive years, how the candidates have been ambassadors of the subject, candidates’ participation in community service, and co-curriculum activities, among others.
Nyamita, who is currently doing his masters in linguistics, says he has published four books on demystifying the English language.
Apart from that, Nyamita said, he has also been mentoring students in his community and beyond, inmates in prisons who are preparing for KCPE and KCSE, and teachers of English across the country.
He said he has also been using his savings to educate bright but vulnerable girls; currently he has 3 in high school and two in university whom he is supporting.
The tutor believes that education will make them realize their dreams.
Nyamita, also a rugby coach, said he won a gold medal in 2014 in the East Africa Secondary Schools championship, and Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Championship Rugby 7s in 2014 held at Kisii School.
He frequents Kisumu Maximum Security Prison during his free time to revise with inmates who are preparing for KCPE and KCSE and to donate revision books, pens and other personal items.
In addition to that, he facilitates in capacity building and mentorship workshops for language teachers.
But when did the English bug start biting Nyamita?
Nyamita remembers when a Japanese non-profit organization organized an essay writing contest when he was in Form 3. He was declared the winner, managing to outshine students from more established learning institution such as Maseno School. That is how his interest in English was ignited.
As would be expected, the Kenyatta University alumni scored an A- in English in KCSE and pursued the same.
Nyamita said his darkest moment as a teacher of English was at Maseno School when his mean grade dropped from 10.6 to 7.9 in 2016.
Consequently, they had to come together as a department to fancy ways of taking it back up there. Through this concerted effort, they improved to 8.9 in 2017, 9.1 in 2018, 9.4 in 2019, 9.6 in 2020, and 9.7 in 2021.
When he transferred to Kisumu Girls, the performance rose from 8.4 in 2021 to 9.7 in 2022. He believes that soon Kisumu Girls will be the best school in English.
The teacher says the belief that English is a difficult subject compared to others is a misnomer.
Nyamita insists that the girl child has been disadvantaged for many years. He is married with two children.
By Fredrick Odiero
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