Adeola Adefemi, a teacher at Keke Senior High School in Agege, Lagos, has won the ninth edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year competition.
The national competition, sponsored by the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, aims to recognize and reward exceptional teachers in Nigeria.
Adefemi, the founder of Girls Allowed Hub, Every Child Counts Club, and the convener of the Secure Your Future Campaign, received a cash prize of N6.5 million. She will undergo an all-expense-paid capacity development training in the UK.
Also, Keke Senior High School will receive either a fully equipped computer laboratory or a six-classroom block worth N20 million in her honor.
Azuh Chike of Ezemu Girls Grammar School in Delta State was the first runner-up, winning a cash prize of N1.5 million. Adam Abdulqadir Ndi of Model Science College in Niger State was the second runner-up, receiving a cash prize of N1.25 million.
Furthermore, 27 other teachers who emerged as state champions from their respective states received N500,000 each.
Adefemi shared her experience, saying, “I almost gave up, but I promised myself and my students that I would win something for them. In the application, there were so many essay questions, which was the most challenging part,” she told The Premium Times in an interview.
Aderemi, a decorated academic, continues a trail of tutorship excellence. In 2020, she was awarded the Fulbright Teaching Excellence Award, for the best teacher in Lagos State by the Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
In 2022, she went ahead to grab the Federal Government’s Presidential Best Teacher Prize in Nigeria.Adefemi also won this year’s African Union(AU) Continental Teacher Prize.
