From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Solanke Francis Taiwo from Ansar-Udeen Main School, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has emerged the best teacher in Nigeria in the 2025 President’s Teachers and School Excellence Award, thus winning the star prize, a brand new car.
Similarly, Woliwo Primary School II, Onitsha, Anambra State, emerged as the best public primary school in Nigeria. The award came with a brand new school bus while Onike Junior High School, Lagos, also emerged the best junior school in Nigeria in the 2025 President’s Teachers and School Excellence Award, and the award also came with a brand new bus.
Odenike Fausat Mobolaji from Elepe Community Junior High School, Ikorodu, Lagos, was rewarded with N3.5m for emerging the best school leader. Similarly, Emmanuel Ozor Charles from the Greater Tomorrow International College, Ondo, was also rewarded with N3.5m for emerging best public private teachers.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, alongside several other ministers, governors and other government officials presented the awards at an event to mark the 2025 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja, with the theme: “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession.”
He said the theme resonates deeply with Nigeria’s education reform agenda. “Our experience has shown that when teachers are supported to work together through peer mentoring, joint lesson planning, co-teaching, and the use of digital platforms, learning outcomes improve, and teachers themselves experience professional growth and fulfillment.
“We initiated numerous policies to revitalize the teaching profession, including the National Teacher Policy, which ensures that teachers are professionally empowered and motivated. Peer support structures are being encouraged at school and zonal levels nationwide.
“The education sector is also leveraging ICT to connect teachers across states and provide access to global best practices. We have a robust continuous professional development opportunity through the Teachers Registration Council (TRCN) of Nigeria, National Teachers Institute (NTI), and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“Teaching is often viewed as an individual practice, which can make some teachers resist collaboration for fear of interference or added workload.
To address this, it is essential to build and sustain a culture of trust, openness, and shared responsibility,” he said.
He congratulated the teachers that won the prizes, and encouraged others to emulate the steps of those who won awards so they could stand a chance of winning in the coming years.
President, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Titus Amba, lamented the endless plea for a better working condition for teachers. “It has been established that teachers are the soul of any education system.
“Proper status of teachers and due public regard for the teaching profession are of major importance for the full realization of educational aims and objectives.
“The well-being of teachers is crucial to attract and retain teachers in the profession and tackle the teacher shortage. It is also central to the realisation of the right to quality education for all.
“It was in recognition of the low status of teachers and the poor conditions under which they work that the Federal Government under late President Muhammadu Buhari approved some welfare packages for teachers with a view to repositioning the education sector for greater service delivery in the country.
“Some of the approved incentives include: special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools; harmonized retirement age of 65 years and 40 years of service for teachers; reintroduction of bursary award for students studying education in Universities and Colleges of Education; building of low-cost houses for teachers in rural areas; provision of loan facilities for agriculture, housing, cars, motorcycles and others to support teachers’ earnings; and free tuition and automatic admission for biological children of teachers.
“Sadly, apart from the new retirement age for teachers, which has been implemented by 22 states and the FCT, most of the approvals made in 2020 are yet to be implemented. We hereby call on both federal and State Governments to ensure full implementation of these approved incentives for teachers to promote their effectiveness and quality learning outcomes in our school system.”
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajero, asked the government to deeply look into the welfare and wellbeing of teachers insisting that teachers should enjoy their rewards on earth and no longer in heaven.
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