Teachers’ Welfare Takes Centrestage As NB Plc Flag Off 2017 Maltina Teacher Award

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

A university Don, Prof. Aloy Ejiogu, has enjoined the government to prioritize the welfare of teachers in the country and stop paying lip service to their problems and the teaching profession in general.
Ejiogu made this call on Tuesday during the flag off of the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2017 in Lagos.

According to Prof. Ejiogu, asides poor remuneration, there is also a lack of policy clarity and planning, leading to demotivation, disillusionment and frustration.
He lamented that there is probably no other profession in the country that is faced with a plethora of issues like the teaching profession.

The don listed among the countless travails of the Nigerian teachers including inadequate funding of the education sector, poor teacher remuneration and working condition, lack of professional and in-service trainings, non or short internship programmes, high teacher-pupil ratio, unhealthy government interference and politicization of education, lack of autonomy by the Nigerian union of Teachers and weak entry qualification.

He emphasized that teachers are drivers of societal norms and they also serve as “surrogate parents”, counsellors, mentors and friends to our children and this creates a positive impact on the lives of the children.

Also speaking at the flag off, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NB Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, was of the the view that through the Maltina Teacher of the year initiative, the nation can become inspired to accord teachers their deserved credit and bring the necessary deserved respect back to the teaching profession.
Vervelde, who was represented by Mr. Kufre Ekanem, the Corporate Affairs Adviser at NB Plc, highlighted that the Maltina Teacher of the year award was launched in 2015 by Nigerian Breweries to recognise, celebrate and motivate teachers in the country and it is part of the company’s commitment to the development of education in the country.
Vervelde also stated that for the first time, the competition would be expanding its tentacles to accommodate teachers across private schools nationwide.

According to him, the contest sponsored under the initiative of the Nigerian Breweries Felix Ohiwerel Education Trust Fund (NB-FO-ETF) intervention in the education sector, has brought about the construction of over 280 classrooms and 30 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across the 44 communities in Nigeria, in addition to impacting over 20, 000 students directly.

He said the expansion of NB-FO-ETF birthed the Maltina teacher of the year, anchored on the fact that despite the sensitive role teachers play in moulding future leaders, they are often underestimated.

According to him, collection of applications which opened on Tuesday, would last till Friday July 7, adding that interested teachers are to download application forms from the Maltina website -www.maltina-nigeria.com.

Applications forms should be completed and uploaded to the website or sent by email to maltinateacheroftheyear@heineken.com or by post to P.M.B. 12632, Marina, Lagos.

“As it was the case in the previous editions, all duly completed applications will be subjected to an intense selection and judging process. An external and independent panel of judges has been constituted to ensure transparency, credibility and objectivity of the initiative,” he added.

He said the five-step evaluation process of entries received would result in 37 champions (one per state and the FCT), subject to entries meeting the threshold as set by the panel of judges.

From among the states champions, the teacher of the year 2017 will emerge.

The overall winner will go home with N1 million and also receive N1 million annually for five years.

The state champion will be rewarded with N500,000.
Vervelde said all state champions and winners would be rewarded at a grand ceremony on Thursday, October 12, to also commemorate the World Teachers’ Day.

The Maltina Teacher of the Year Award has so far produced 42 state champions and two overall winners.

The maiden winner was Mrs. Nkemdillim Obi of the Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha, Anambra State, while Mr. Imo Essien, a teacher at the Special Education Centre for Exceptional Children, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State who the subsequent edition.