Two Nigerian teachers have been shortlisted for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize, funded by His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — the Vice President of the United Arabs Emirate, Prime Minister and Emir of Dubai all rolled into one.
The two teachers are Messrs Ayodele Odeogbola and Itodo Anthony , who teach in Abeokuta , Ogun State ; and Otukpa , Benue State , respectively .
Al Maktoum funds the award through the Varkey Foundation, his not -for -profit organisation established to improve the standards of education for underprivileged children throughout the world .“Our mission is that every child should have a good teacher ,” the Foundation says on its website .
The Global Teacher Prize is a $ 1 m award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession . Citizens of any country are free to apply .
The first award was presented in 2015, and 2017 marks the first time that any Nigerian teacher would feature on the finalists’ list.
According to the sponsors of the award , the prize serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that , throughout the world , their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated .
Ayodele Odeogbola teaches STEM Education and Global Studies to 11 -15 -year -olds in Abeokuta Grammar School, Ogun State .
According to his bio on the GTP website , Odeogbola is passionate about developing his learners to be future leaders and become stakeholders in their world , using collaboration , critical thinking , creativity and communication, combined with innovation and new technology to transform learning .
“In class , he has chosen gifted students as leaders to head groups and review every learning activity – many of these have gone on to become leaders in higher education.
“Rather than teach the same thing in the same way to all , Ayodele seeks to match the different needs , potentials and learning paths of each child ,” his biography reads.
The second nominee , Itodo Anthony , teaches at the Gateway Excel College , Otukpa , Benue State .
At the beginning of his career in a small rural school , not many people understood why Anthony would get a masters degree from a UK university and end up teaching in a village for ‘peanuts .’
“But this was part of his mission – to elevate the teaching profession to a place of pride , to say with his own life that the profession is a noble one whose value is not tied to how much we earn,” his biography says .
When Anthony teaches in class , he tries to introduce positive values from other parts of the world to broaden pupils ’ view of life , educating them about the virtues of justice , institutional soundness , community service , and value creation
In line with tradition , the Top 10 finalists will be announced in February 2018 , while the winner will receive his / her prize in March.
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