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As teachers the world over continue to bask in the euphoria of the World Teachers Day which held last Monday, the winner of the maiden edition of the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year award will be announced on Monday, 12th October, 2015, at a grand ceremony in Lagos. The overall winner of the award will emerge from the ten finalists that were screened by the panel of judges last week.
The national winner will get one million naira and another one million naira to be paid into his account annually for five years. The runner-up will take seven hundred and fifty naira, while the school that produces the national winner will also become a beneficiary of infrastructural development and projects worth twenty five million naira.
The Panel of Judges comprising eminent Nigerian academics and professionals, was chaired by Prof. Pat Utomi, Founder/CEO, Centre for Values in Leadership. Others include: Mrs. Mopelola O. Omoegun, Professor of Education, University of Lagos; Prof. Thomas I. Ofuya, Vice Chancellor, Wellspring University and Member, Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities; as well as Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman, Editorial Board, ThisDay Newspapers. Other members are: Dr. (Mrs.) Abdulrahman Binta Fatima, National President, All-Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools; and Professor Tijjani Abubakar, Dean, Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University.
The race for Maltina Teacher-of-The-Year started on Wednesday, 20th May, 2015 and generated unprecedented interest from teachers across the country. The award instituted by the Nigerian Breweries – Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund is aimed at restoring the pride of teachers and the dignity of the teaching profession.
The collection of application forms which was to end on Tuesday, 30th June, 2015 was extended to Friday, 17th July, 2015, based on the appeal by secondary school teachers for more time to file their entries. The initiative with prizes worth N50 million annually, is to reward commitment and diligence to duty by exceptional teachers across the country. Kufre Ekanem, Nigerian Breweries Corporate Affairs Adviser explained that “On October 12 when the prizes will be awarded, the teaching profession will be put on a scale and celebrated in a grand event. “Teachers are used to watching other professions celebrated on TV, now is their time to be celebrated,” he declared.
According to him, the company hopes that through this initiative, it can inspire the nation to accord our teachers their deserved credit and bring back respect to the teaching profession in Nigeria, adding that the objective of the award is to create an avenue where exceptional teachers will be showcased and rewarded annually and continuously. Ohiwerei is the first indigenous Chairman of the leading beverage conglomerate which has been operating in the country since 1946. The Trust Fund was established in 1994, with a seed capital of N100 million, to contribute to the development of educational sector in the country. Over the years, the company has used the fund to assist over 100,000 students, built 250 classrooms and 22 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across 49 communities in the country.
