A Kenyan teacher who gives classes against violent extremism is one of 10 finalists up for $1m prize for the world’s best teacher.
Ayub Mohamud teaches at a school identified as a recruiting ground for Islamist militants.
Mohamud says he was excited and humbled by his nomination by the Varkey Foundation, which works to improve the education of underprivileged children.
Mr Mohamud teaches business and Islamic studies in the Somali-dominated Eastleigh suburb of Nairobi, which is popularly referred to as “Little Mogadishu”.
Passionate about innovation, design and creativity, he tries to equip students with the skills to become successful social entrepreneurs.
Prior to working in Nairobi, Ayub taught at a number of schools in rural areas, educating students from traditional herding communities and attempting to impress upon their families the importance of attending school.
For the last five years, he has been discussing de-radicalisation in his religious education classes.
A speaker at the Global Counter Terrorism Forum in Abu Dhabi, he helped Hedayah design strategies to counter violent extremism.
He established Teachers Against Violent Extremism, an anti-terror network, and is the patron of a grassroots youth empowerment initiative.
He has helped implement engagement programmes in Kenyan schools and developed a lesson plan teachers can use to incorporate de-radicalisation messages into key subjects such as Islamic Religious Education.
In a leaked report from 2013, Kenya’s National Intelligence Agency reportedly said that al-Shabab militants had been recruiting at Mr Mohamud’s school, Eastleigh High.
