There is a high level of excitement and anticipation among teachers in the nation’s secondary schools and other education stakeholders as the October 20 date to reveal the 2016 winner of the Maltina Teacher of the Year draws near. In fact, Nigerians are anxiously awaiting the results of the work of the panel of judges who will choose the best teacher in Nigeria for 2016.

Like last year, the 2016 winner of Maltina Teacher of the Year will receive one million naira instantly, plus one million naira every year for the next five years. The winner also receives a development training opportunity abroad and a block of classrooms to be built at the school where they teach.

For this year’s entries, teachers from 34 states and Abuja were required to submit their applications to compete for the coveted prize. Explaining the process for choosing the winner, the Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem said:

“The teacher with the highest score, from each state will be named as the State Champion, provided that score is above the qualification mark set by the judges. From the pool of State Champions, the top ten teachers will be invited to a session with the panel of judges at a test centre. The top performer at the test centre will be announced as the 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year at a grand event in Lagos on October 20.”

Mr. Ekanem added that “It is our hope that through the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, we can inspire this nation to accord our teachers their deserved credit and bring back respect to the teaching profession in Nigeria.”

The Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative is done on the platform of the Nigerian Breweries / Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund. The fund was established in 1994 to contribute to the development of the educational sector in the country. The scheme gives out award prizes worth N50 million annually.

In the 2015 maiden edition, Mrs. Nkemdilim Obi, a teacher from Anambra State emerged winner and took home the coveted prize.

Obi, who is the daughter of a teacher, teaches Mathematics and Chemistry at the Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha. She was a graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State and beat nine other finalists to win the coveted prize.

The first runner-up, Mrs. Binta Mohammed Lawan, teaches at the Federal Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State, while Mr. Daniel Effiong from Akwa Ibom emerged the second runner-up.