Organizers of the recently launched Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative have announced the extension of the deadline for submission of entries for the innovative awards. This announcement is coming on the heels of appeal by secondary school teachers across the country for more time to enable them file their entry for the coveted prize worth over N50 million.
Disclosing news of the extension in Lagos on Monday, Mr Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc. on behalf of Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund stated that “submission of entry has been extended to Friday July 17th 2015.
“We have extended deadline for the submission of entries for Maltina Teacher of the Year because of the overwhelming appeal by teachers across the country who pleaded for the extension. This initiative is for teachers, we believe it is just fair for us to take their interest into consideration. As a company, we always listen and take the voice of the people into consideration in our decision making process,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has commended the company for initiating the project. According to the union, Maltina Teacher of the Year will not only help in improving teaching conditions and the education sector generally, it will go a long way in restoring the pride of teachers and the dignity of the teaching profession in the country.
The union which announced its endorsement of Maltina as its official drink at all occasions recently, reiterated its commitment to the success of the social investment project.
Making the declaration on behalf of the union at the launch, the Acting Deputy General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Chief Wole Oyeniyi stated that “Maltina has taken the lead in bringing back the lost glory of the teaching profession. It is the first time that an organization is putting up a project of this magnitude for teachers in Nigeria. We really appreciate you and the contribution your organization is making the improvement of education sector in Nigeria. We want to appreciate and commend your effort. I want you to know that with this gesture of yours, NUT (Nigerian Union of Teachers) has decided to make Maltina our official drink from now. At every ceremony, every event, even in our homes, Maltina will be our official and preferred drink.
“Now we know that there are people out there that still appreciate and are willing to encourage teachers. I will implore other corporate organizations to follow your lead. We need more of initiatives like this to keep inspiring our teachers to do more,” he said.
With the extension in deadline for submission of entries, Kufre added that interested candidates who are yet to submit their entries should take the advantage of the extension to obtain hard copies of entry forms from designated collection and submission points scattered all over the country as contained in flyers, posters and other below-the-line (BTL) advertising materials being circulated across the country. He added that candidates can also download the application forms from the Maltina website, www.maltina-nigeria.
While flagging the competition off in Lagos during the launch, Mr Ekanem, explained that entries for the competition will be subjected to an intensive selection and judging process by an external independent panel of judges which has been constituted to ensure transparency, credibility and objectivity of the exercise. The 5-step evaluation process of the entries received, he noted, will result in 37 state and FCT champions, from among which would emerge the Maltina Teacher- of- the- Year 2015. “We hope that through this initiative, we can inspire this nation to accord our teachers their deserved credit and bring back respect to the teaching profession in Nigeria,” Ekanem said.
He further disclosed that the Maltina Teacher of the Year and other national finalists of the competition will be unveiled and celebrated at a grand ceremony on Monday, October 5, 2015, a day set aside by the United Nations to mark the World Teachers Day. The maiden award is open to teachers working in public secondary schools across the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory.
Maltina Teacher of the Year is designed to reward outstanding teachers who have distinguished themselves in the teaching profession in Nigeria. The Award will reward outstanding Nigerian teachers who have developed innovative strategies and teaching techniques as well as contributed to the advancement of education in Nigeria.
The initiative is the brainchild of Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund which is sponsoring it on the platform of NB Plc.’s premium malt drink brand, Maltina. Established as non-for-profit organization in 1994, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund has continued to drive some of the company’s corporate social responsibility projects, especially in its continued support for development of the educational sector in Nigeria.
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