Ubaka Enuagwuna is a a professional Educator with over 13-years experience in the world of teaching. His desire to improve the welfare and relevance of teachers in Nigeria, gave birth to the Teachers Reality TV Show. In this interview with ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM, he speaks on why he decided to embark on the TV show and other sundry issues.


Tell us how you came up with this idea of the teachers reality TV show:

The idea of the teachers reality TV show was born out of the desire to improve the recognition given to teachers in the society. They say the teachers reward is in heaven and other professions have their rewards on earth, why is it so? We want to use this show to give teachers a voice and to let the general public know the efforts teachers put into developing the future generation. Teachers are the ones that make other professions possible and they deserve to be appreciated just like it’s done in developed countries of the world.

There have been lots of talent shows with little or no relevance, how would you break that jinx?

First of all I would say that this is not in any way related to other show that has been in existence. This is an academic show, a show of brilliance and a show that will shape the lives of our future generation. Parents, students and the general public will be watching to see what the teachers will be coming up with. The show promises to educate, inspire and motivate people to take education more seriously and also appreciate and respect the people that have taken out their time to teach and impact knowledge to the students. So I would say that this show has come to stay and Nigeria and Africa will see and benefit from it.

Teachers are known to be the least appreciated in the society, is that also the reason you are coming up with this show?

Like I said earlier, the appreciation given to teachers is not commensurate to what they put in their job. I am a teacher and I will always be a teacher, over the years, I have had parent calling during long holidays asking the school ‘’ when are you people going to resume, the children are destroying the house already’’. In this twenty first century, some parents do not have the ability to keep their children quiet or to make them learn at home. But we have teachers that have twenty students in their class for a period of nine months in a year and they still handle them with care and love and also correct them when necessary. These teachers deserve more and this show tends to address and promote that.

How would this reality TV show help in repositioning the mind-set of the government on the importance of teachers in the society

Well I must say that the government has done a lot to improve education and teachers welfare in the country. Nigeria is a blessed nation when it comes to human capacity. We still believe that the government can still do more to encourage our teachers. The reason why I say this is because when a teacher is properly motivated, they will go the extra mile to help that child that even the parents have written off. So we believe that after this first season of the show, the government, cooperate bodies and well-meaning individuals would have seen the importance of teachers in nation building and they will definitely do something to improve the welfare of teachers in the country.

What would be their benefit as winners of the talent show because lots of people think teachers are least appreciated when it comes to awards and cash prizes

You are right when you say that teachers are least appreciated when it comes to awards and cash prizes. That is to tell you that we still need to improve on what we invest in. A nation that invests on its educational system has secured its future. For example we have other shows that are not education based and they are well supported and sponsored, but when it comes to education or teachers, people tends to walk away. In our own capacity, this first season of the show will have three winners and the winner will go home with one million five hundred thousand naira, the first runner up will go home with one million naira and the second runner up will get five hundred thousand naira. The school the winners are representing will get education support worth five hundred thousand naira each and the three winners will have the opportunity to go for an all expense educational paid trip to Dubai.

Who is bankrolling this project?

Currently this project is been sponsored by well-meaning individuals that want to appreciate and support teachers in the country. We are also using this opportunity to solicit for cooperate sponsorship for the show so that we can make the show even better.

Is this going to be an annual competition or it’s just for a season

The show is going to be an annual event where teachers will be looking forward to participating. Teachers all over the country do have their holidays in August and the show will be holding at that time of the year. In subsequent seasons, we will accommodate more people in the house but in this first season, we will only have fifteen of them in the house.

Hint Nigerians on what other things should be expected and how people can be part of it.

To be part of the show, you have to visit www.teachersrealitytvshow.com.ng. Registration is free. Out of the pool of applicants, we will select the fifteen that best meet the requirement. To be able to apply and qualify to be in the house, you must be between the ages of 21-45 years of age, you must have educational qualification (must be a professional teacher), You must be a Nigerian and you will be required to write an essay with the topic ‘’ what would you do differently if given the opportunity to change Nigeria’s educational system’’. At the end of the screening, fifteen of them will be chosen to be in the house. The will start on the 10th of August and end on the 25th of August.

Tell us more about yourself

My name is Enuagwuna Ubaka, I am a seasoned educator that has been in the teaching profession for thirteen year now. My experience over the years has given me the opportunity to work with teachers closely and also know what they really need to be motivated to do their jobs. I have had cause to ask my students when teaching them in class ‘’ how many of you wants to be teachers when you grow up’’ none of them ever raised their hands. In developed countries like Finland, the best graduating students of the universities every year are the people that go into teaching; no wonder their educational system is the best in the world.

Where in Lagos is the show taking place?