172 teachers selected for 2023 Maltina Teacher- of-Year Award nationwide

As Nigerians are awaiting whose head this year’s Maltina Teacher of the Year (MTOY) Award crown best fit among the secondary school teachers, a total of 172 of them from 29 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory have been selected to go for the major rounds of the competition.

The number is from a total of 1,203 teachers with valid entries out of a pool of 1,449 teachers, who submitted entries for the award this year nationwide.

MTOY Award is an annual and free competition among both public and private secondary school teachers across the country and it’s being organised and sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc through its social arm, Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund as part of its social intervention efforts in education sector in the country.

Speaking on the development, the Project Consultant of the competition, Prof. Uchenna Udeani, from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, said the 172 teachers were shortlisted for the next stage of the competition after a rigorous and careful screening of all the entries by a team of experienced lecturers.

She said it is now that their entries would be passed on to the independent panel of jurists that is saddled for their screening till the overall winner among 10 finalists and the state champions, will emerge.

In her own remark in a statement made available to newsmen, the Corporate Affairs Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mrs Sade Morgan, expressed satisfaction with the high level of participation of teachers in this year’s edition.

She noted that the competition recorded its highest number of valid entries since its inception nine years ago.

Morgan reaffirmed the commitment of the Felix Ohiwerei Trust Fund to identifying for rewarding the outstanding teachers in the country through the competition.

She restated that the overall winner of the competition would receive a trophy, a total cash prize of N6.5 million, and capacity development training while his or her school would be entitled to either a block of classroom or a computer laboratory while the first and second runners-up, as well as state champions, will also receive their own prizes.

She, however, tasked the panel of jurists headed by Prof. Pat Utomi, a political-economist cum politician, to do a thorough evaluation of all the contestants just as they always do in the past editions.

She said it is highly expected that the best teacher in Nigeria would also emerge this year to wear the crown.

She noted that the call for entry for the competition this year started and ended on May 25 and August 4, respectively.

She said the overall winners and all the state champions would be unveiled and rewarded according to their prizes at a grand finale ceremony scheduled for October 20, in Lagos.

The competition has so far produced eight winners from both public and private schools.

They include Rose Nkemdilim Obi (2015), Imoh Essien(2016), Felix Ariguzo, (2017), Olasunkanmi Opeifa, (2018), Ezem Collins (2019), Oluwabunmi Anani (2020), Abanika Taiye(2021) and Alaku Ayiwulu (2022).

The federal and various state ministries of education and other education stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS) and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). among others have proudly endorsed the competition.

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