Protocols,
Distinguished Gentlemen of the Press,
On behalf of Maltina, I welcome you to this press conference to announce the commencement of the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2016. As you already know, the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative was launched in 2015 through the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund. It was designed to recognise, celebrate and motivate teachers in Nigeria as part of our company’s continuous commitment to the development of education.
Since 1994, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund has impacted over 20,000 students across Nigeria. Through the fund, we have built over 250 classrooms and 22 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across 44 communities in Nigeria. We have also renovated and donated equipment to tertiary institutions including University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) and we are currently equipping the clinical skills laboratory at University College Hospital, Ibadan.
In 2015, the Education Trust Fund expanded its intervention in education in Nigeria to teachers through the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative. The initiative was hinged on the realisation that teachers seldom get the recognition they deserve in spite of the pivotal role they play in training, coaching and determining the quality of education. At the end of the long process of collecting, screening and judging of entries, 19 State Champions, 2 runners-up and an overall winner emerged at a grand ceremony in commemoration with World Teachers Day.
As we promised at the inauguration of the initiative last year, each State Champion received Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000.00) while the 2nd and 1st runners-up, Mr. Daniel Sunday Udiong from Akwa Ibom State and Mrs Binta Mohammed Lawan from Borno State, got an additional Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N750, 000.00) and One Million Naira (N1, 000, 000.00) respectively. Our Maltina Teacher of the Year for 2015, Mrs Rose Nkemdilim Obi, got an additional One Million Naira (N1, 000, 000.00) on top of the N500, 000.00 won as State Champion for Anambra State. She will also receive 1 million naira for the next 5 years. This money will be paid every 5th October and will be managed by a reputable asset management company. The Five Million Naira (N5, 000, 000.00) and the interests it generates will be drawn by the winner at the end of the fifth year. She will also get a development training abroad and a block of classroom built at the school where she teaches.
We want to say a big thank you to the Federal Ministry of Education, the state ministries of education, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and indeed all Nigerian teachers for the huge support, endorsements and commendation we got during last year’s edition.
Gentlemen of the press, I am happy to announce to you that we have expanded the focus for the 2016 edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year to include teachers from private secondary schools across Nigeria in addition to the public secondary schools which were the sole focus last year. Thus, we expect a stronger and more intense battle for the honours this year.
Collection of applications will commence today, 27th April 2016 and last till 30th June 2016. 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 [email protected] or post to P.M.B. 12632, Marina, Lagos.
As was the case in 2015, all eligible applications will be subjected to an intense selection and judging process. Our external and independent panel of judges will ensure transparency, credibility and objectivity of the initiative. The 5 – step evaluation process of the entries received will result in 37 champions (one per state and the FCT), subject to entries meeting the cut off mark set by the panel of judges. From amongst these State Champions, the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2016 will emerge. All State Champions and Winners will be celebrated and rewarded in a grand ceremony on October 12 2016 in commemoration of World Teachers Day.
Like last year, each State Champion will get Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000.00) and the Top 10 teachers will be recognised before the grand winners are announced. The 2nd and 1st runners-up will receive trophies and an additional Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N750, 000.00) and One Million Naira (N1, 000, 000.00) respectively. The Maltina Teacher of the Year 2016 will get an additional One Million Naira (N1, 000, 000.00) instantly plus One Million Naira every year for the next five years, a development training opportunity abroad and a block of classrooms built at the school where he/she teaches.
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. As partners for development, we call on all education stakeholders and solicit your support, our friends in the media, towards the success of this initiative.
Once again, we thank you for the enormous support this initiative received last year and request that you accord it even greater publicity this year.
Thank you for honouring our invitation to be here today and I hope that you will join Maltina and all of us in Nigerian Breweries as we share happiness to our teachers.
Kufre U. Ekanem