Uchechukwu Nnaike
The 2023 edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition has come and gone, but its echoes keep reverberating in the Nigerian educational circle. It was a night of stars at the Jewel Aedia, Lagos, where the grand finale was held recently.
The award, in its ninth year, has transformed the lives of many teachers, bringing them out of obscurity into the limelight.
An initiative of the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition recognises, celebrates, and rewards extraordinary teachers who have contributed immensely to moulding Nigerian children and youths.
As the popularity of the competition among teachers made headlines this year, recording the highest number of entries ever, 1,499 entries nationwide, the story got more interesting with an impressive 1,203 valid entries for grading.
At the end of the rigorous evaluation by the esteemed panel of judges, the top 10 finalists emerged. On the night of October 20, 2023, the Maltina Teacher of the Year was unveiled to roaring applause.
Adeola Adedunke Adefemi of Keke Senior High School, Agege, Lagos, was crowned the winner. Like previous shining lights of the award, she will receive N6.5 million (N1.5 million immediately and N1 million annually for the next five years) from the Nigerian Breweries – Felix Ohiwerei Trust Fund. The roll-call of winners continued with Azuh Chike, a teacher with Ezemu Girls Grammar School, Delta, as the first runner-up, with a cash prize of N1.5 million. Adam Abdulqadir Ndi of Model Science College, Niger State, the second runner-up, went home with a N1.25 million cash prize—the remaining 27 teachers who emerged as state champions were rewarded with N500,000 each.
The event featuring past winners, the top 10 finalists, management and staff of Nigerian Breweries Plc, dignitaries, and the media was filled with fun and enlightenment.
Among the dignitaries present was the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, who, in his goodwill message, commended the efforts of Nigeria Breweries Plc-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund to celebrate outstanding teachers across Nigeria and cited the growing national efforts to bring back the glory days of teachers in the country.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also praised the company for its significant contributions towards making the teaching profession rewarding.
He stated that the state government appreciates the significance of such competition in improving the quality of teaching and students’ performance.
The winner of the coveted prize, Adeola, who was delighted to be among the illustrious list of past winners, was grateful to Nigerian Breweries Plc for shining the light of recognition on the teaching profession and rewarding teachers through the initiative.
Since its inception nine years ago, the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition has recognised 211 state champions and eight national champions and equipped eight schools with educational facilities such as classroom blocks, an auditorium, and computers.
As the company prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the competition in 2024, it is calling on other organisations to establish similar initiatives to complement the state and federal government’s efforts to improve the lives of teachers.
“This will make teachers more respectable and dignified in society, boost interest in the profession, and no longer will we hear that statement of resignation: ‘Teachers’ rewards are in heaven’,” the company stated.
