Stakeholders in the education sector have emphasised the importance of teachers and the teaching profession in the quest for the nation’s growth and development, at the unveil of the 2017 edition of the Maltina Teacher of The Year in Lagos
In a paper to flag-off the 2017 edition of the initiative on Tuesday, Aloy Ejiogu, a Professor of Educational Management at the University of Lagos maintained that teachers are unarguably extremely invaluable drivers of societal norms, values and growth and no other person can have such an overarching influence on the life of the young members of our society as the teacher.
He noted that the teachers’ impact is not only outstanding by its success stories, but also by its potential and real time errors, while also arguing that whereas the medical doctor buries his mistakes, and the engineer dies with his mistakes, the entire society perishes with the mistakes of the teacher.
“Then, can you ever imagine a Nigeria without any teacher – preprimary, primary, secondary and tertiary? Or what more, a Nigeria replete with demotivated, disgruntled, unqualified and incompetent teachers who cheat their way through this sublime and noblest of human responsibilities? What would we have in return? Ejiogu queried.
A Lagos journalist, Mr. Chika Abanobi, who was also a discussant at the flag-off ceremony re-echoed Ejiogu’s position and affirmed that a nation is as good as the quality of his teachers. He advised stakeholders in the education sector to step up their game in order to halt the slide in the quality and standard of education in the country.
In his contribution, Apostle Adekunle Olaoye, Chairman of the Parents’ Forum of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Grammar School, Ojodu, Lagos, submitted that education remains the best legacy a nation can bequeath to the younger generation. He commended the promoters of the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative for the bold step taken to motivate teachers across the country.
Mr. Imoh Essien, 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year, a teacher from Special Education Center for Exceptional Children, Uyo, Akwa Ibom, called on government and other corporate organisations to emulate the gesture of the sponsors of the initiative to motivate teachers and improve the standard of education in the country.
Also speaking at the occasion, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, represented by Mrs. Yetunde Odejayi, Permanent Secretary, Deputy Governor’s office, Lagos state, described teachers as the most critical asset of the nation and thanked Nigerian Breweries for the initiative she described as a big boost to teachers and the teaching profession.
