Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday, received the winner of the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2020 as part of activities to mark this year’s World Teachers’ Day.
Oluwabunmi Anani, a teacher at Concordia College, Yola, Adamawa State, is the second female to have won the award, instituted in 2015 by the Nigerian Breweries PLC.
Receiving Anani at the State House, Professor Osinbajo commended the work that teachers do in society and their contributions to development.
“It is important for people to understand that this is possibly the most important engagement that a person could have.
“Everyone is a product of a teacher. Somehow, we have to get teachers recognised.”
He said that Anani has great passion and commitment for teaching, which was rare because most people prefer to work in better paying jobs.
Status of Teachers
According to the vice president, the Federal Government has been doing so much to improve the lot of teachers as a way of rewarding them.
“For example, there is policy now, though not a law yet—it is still in the National Assembly—about moving the retirement age of teachers in the public service from 60 to 65. That’s an additional five years.
“Then also looking at their remuneration; I think one of the questions that have arisen is when the teacher comes into the public service.
“In the past, they used to come in at Level 7, which is not the level that a graduate would come in; part of the policy is that they should come in at Level 8.
“But of course this has to go through various processes and all that.”
Professor Osinbajo said that President Muhammadu Buhari has shown tremendous support to the welfare of teachers as he encouraged the states to play their roles ‘because primary and secondary education is essentially the function of states.’
He acknowledged that more needed to be done to improve the standard of education, and called on those who have ideas and suggestions to come forward with them and join government in its efforts to make education better.
Teacher’s self-esteem:
Osinbajo said that one of the things that should also be done is the enhancement of the self-esteem of teachers through awards such as the Maltina Teacher of the Year Award, investing in programmes to develop teachers and their training as well as advancing the work of teachers in various ways.
“But I think teachers also, part of it is self-esteem issue because if a teacher is trained in the best places in the world, it is more likely that such a person will have greater self-esteem and will attract other people who will be more interested in expressing themselves as teachers.
“There are many people who say that teaching is a calling, and I think it is probably right to say so because the kind of commitment you show can only come from a feeling that this is your calling; that this is your role in life, as it were.
“And I must say some of us felt that strongly because it is not where you get the greatest financial reward. “
“I think we must take it beyond that calling and vocation we must make it interesting for people to go and teach. More people go to the banks or industries because they are better paid.”
Commending the Nigerian Breweries Ltd for instituting the award, the vice president called for wider support “for this kinds of thing so that teachers can be even better appreciated.”
Oluwabunmi Anani said that she was posted to Yola for the one-year national service, but despite the insurgency in the north east, she did not redeploy to another state.
She said that she was posted to Government Girls Secondary School, Yola, where she taught SS2 students.
“I discovered that I was passionate about what I was doing; I loved the students.
“I believe that teachers are needed by students who are in need of knowledge, not those who don’t need the teacher around.
“So because I have something to give, something to offer, I felt fulfilled with what I was doing.”
She said after the national service, she applied to some schools and was employed to teach in one of the schools there.
VP Osinbajo honoured by his students:
Earlier on Tuesday, Vice President Osinbajo was honoured by his former students at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, who got together to celebrate his 40 years as a teacher.
They organised a video collage through which they expressed their appreciation to the Vice President for the contributions he made to their lives.
Lateefah Ibrahim
