By Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos
No fewer than 13 public school teachers will be awarded with cars, while 10 others will get consolation prices for their outstanding performance, the Lagos State Government has declared.
The award ceremony, slated for Tuesday, March 30, according to the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, would encourage the up and coming generation to take pride in the teaching profession as a career.
The 13 teachers to be honoured were among 23 semi finalists selected from over 3,000 applicants for the State’s Merit Award selection process, captured under the State’s BOS Education Transformation Plan 2020.
Adefisayo described the effort as an initiative of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu informed by the need to honour the sacrificial contributions of teachers in grooming characters in the society.
The commissioner, who made the disclosure on Thursday at a press conference, said that while 13 of the 23 semi finalists will be awarded with cars, others will be honoured with other consolation prices.
She mentioned that the effort is borne out of the importance of giving teachers a sense of worth and encourage them to commit more to the profession.
Adefisayo said the selection of the awardees followed a very stringent processes and the successful applicants who are public school teachers were screened by seasoned educationists, without interference from the state’s Ministry of Education under which the programme is placed.
In her remarks, the Chairman of the Nomination Committee and the Chairman, Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN), Mrs Lai Koiki, commented that records of experience during the screening processes revealed that contrary to popular sentiment against public school teachers, it was discovered that there were capable and competent professionals in public schools.
She mentioned that the over 3,000 applicants were screened through online processes till the stage that led to the selection of the 23 semi finalists who appeared for physical interviews.
According to her, ‘the best of the best that applied would be awarded with 13 cars,’ disclosing that all the 23 semi finalists will be enrolled for a retreat in five star hotels to enjoy all the luxuries while they would be trained to encourage them with the sense of dignity.
She remarked that the effort will go a long way in building the confidence of teachers and give a sense of prestige to them.
