World Teachers’ Day: FG to reward outstanding teachers with car gifts, others

The Federal Government has announced plans to reward outstanding teachers and schools as part of activities marking the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration scheduled for October 5.

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at a news conference and symposium organised ahead of the celebration, disclosing that 14 awardees would be recognised under the 2026 World Teachers’ Day and President’s Teachers’ and Schools Excellence Awards (PTSEA).

She revealed that the first, second and third-best teachers would receive car gifts, while the best Federal Unity College would be presented with a bus.

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Other awardees, she added, would receive laptops as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to recognise and motivate outstanding performance in the teaching profession.

The 2026 celebration has as its theme, “Transforming the Teaching Profession for Africa’s Future.” According to the minister, the theme focuses on five interconnected pillars: innovation, mobility, artificial intelligence, inclusion and professional excellence.

She said the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), coordinates the annual celebration, while state ministries of education facilitate the nomination of teachers and schools for the awards.

Ahmad said the 2026 selection process was digitalised for the first time, in line with African Union guidelines, to promote safety, transparency, accountability and proper documentation.

She said the digital process eliminated the need for applicants to travel from different parts of the country to submit hard copies, adding that the system was designed to receive, assess and score participants electronically.

The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government had already developed a policy aimed at attracting and retaining the best brains in the teaching profession.

She said the policy, approved in 2025 and disseminated to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, contains guidelines and strategies for attracting high-quality personnel into teaching and improving teachers’ welfare and retention.

“The policy was approved 2025 and has been disseminated to 36 plus FCT. In that policy, there are clear guidelines, there are clear directions and strategy for ensuring that we attract the best,” she said.

Ahmad explained that the policy would begin from the stage when prospective teachers were still in school, including through scholarship opportunities, while measures would also be introduced to improve the welfare of serving teachers.

She, however, stressed that effective implementation would require the cooperation of state governments because education is on the concurrent legislative list and most teachers are employed at the state level.

The minister said the Federal Government has limited direct control over teachers because of the relatively small number of Federal Unity Colleges compared with the total number of schools across the country, making state-level implementation critical.

Also speaking at the event, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, who was represented by the Deputy President, Elder Comrade Kizito Kalu, called for greater investment in preparing teachers for the rapidly changing education environment.

Amba said technological advancement, artificial intelligence, changing societal expectations and emerging approaches to teaching and learning were transforming education globally.

He said such changes must not diminish the professional role of teachers, but should instead be used to strengthen their capacity and effectiveness.

“The NUT believes that a strong education system cannot be built without a strong, respected and adequately supported teaching profession,” he said.

The NUT president called for sustained investment in preparing teachers to use emerging technologies and adapt to new demands, stressing that teachers must remain at the centre of the education process.

He said teachers should be empowered to adapt, innovate and exercise professional judgment as technology and artificial intelligence increasingly influence teaching and learning.

Amba also commended the Federal Ministry of Education for its continued partnership with the union in organising World Teachers’ Day activities.

Earlier, the Director of Education Support Services in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Gabriel Oluwole, said the ministry had introduced a fully automated process for the 2026 awards selection.

Oluwole said the process covered the categories of Best Teacher, Best School and Best Administrator across the basic and secondary education sub-sectors, adding that the exercise covered public and private schools as well as Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.

According to him, the digital process was adopted to eliminate the collection of hard-copy applications and strengthen safety, transparency and accountability.

The World Teachers’ Day celebration will feature the participation of teachers from the 36 states and the FCT, including a colourful march-past in their respective state flags and cultural attire.