Teachers are some of the first contacts our kids will have with inspiring adults besides their parents and close relatives. Whatever a teacher passes on to them they will likely stick to it and follow in their teacher’s footsteps. On world teacher’s day, the whole world acknowledges the sacrifice and effort of these great influencers of society.
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World teacher’s day is celebrated in more than 200 countries around the world, it first began in 1994 by UNESCO, and the objective of world teacher’s day was to show appreciation for teachers of all levels, for their hard work and spirit, and for educating the young.
The job is not only for those who are out to earn a living, which is fine, but it is also a job for those who will become truly committed to teaching as well as learning from their students, and preparing them for the future.
Teaches shape how we are going to face reality, how we are going to react to society and how we will grow as adults. It is true, one of the most common questions kids are asked is “What do you want to become when you grow up?”
And among the most common answers, you will find doctor, nurse, engineer, and unsurprisingly, teacher. They say so because they are inspired by their hard-working teachers at school. Good teachers are idols and are seen as such by their students.
Teaching is a humanitarian act, it is in fact, one of the basic human rights is the Right to Education. All children have the right to receive education, whether from higher-income or lower-income families, or from regions far or near.
Governments are always striving to fulfill that duty, they want to see to it that children receive education, some early education curriculums are even free in Nigeria.
Those in the first line of duty are the teachers, they are responsible for instructing the students. They lay the foundation for learning, and prepare students for the future. Their work forms the basis for language development in children, arithmetic skills, and so on.
But like in many third-world countries, teachers in Nigeria overcome a lot of hardship to fulfil their duty. Educational infrastructures are lacking and teaching resources are scarce, unlike in developed countries where the situation is eased a little.
Teachers in Nigeria depend on their skills and imagination to fill most of the gap. And frankly, they are doing a remarkable job, even in the face of this year’s challenge, that is why the Nigerian Government is awarding the best teachers in Nigeria following the 2020 World Teacher’s Day celebration.
They deserve an accolade, a pat on the back for their efforts, after accomplishing so much from behind the scenes, the Federal Government is here to ensure they get what they deserve.
As the saying goes, “not all heroes wear capes”, teachers are definitely those types of heroes.
The prize will recognize the best teachers from all 774 local government areas in Nigeria, teachers will be evaluated and nominated by their respective states and their names will be put forward to the Federal Government.
It is not clear what the prize is, or the nature of the award, but the Federal Government made it known they will be awarding the best teachers during World Teacher’s Day.
Although public schools have not yet resumed, except for WAEC candidates and some private schools, the Government says they have set criteria for choosing their nominees.
Many schools have not ceased learning entirely, they just moved to learning online due to the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, the Government has put that into consideration as part of the criteria for choosing the best teacher.
It has been a most challenging year for teachers and other professionals worldwide, the award will encourage teachers and let them know their efforts are appreciated. It will also help to strengthen other teacher’s resolve to be the best they can be.
The world teacher’s day theme for 2020 sums up what teachers have gone through this year, it reads, “Teaching: leading in crisis, reimagining the future”.
After all, teaching is about training the future citizens of the country, educating them, and preparing them for the real world where they will work and contribute to society at large.
World Teacher’s Day is going to be on the 5th of October 2020, a mere five days after Nigeria turned 60 from its independence. The decision by the Nigerian Government to give out a prize to the best teacher is received with much enthusiasm and joy.
The award was announced by the Minister of state for Education Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba in a press briefing, and already, more than 24 states have submitted a list of nominees for the award for the World Teacher’s Day celebration in Nigeria.
The award is going to be in five categories; best public school, best approved private school, best public school teacher, best approved private school teacher, and best school administrator.
Teacher’s day is often celebrated in Nigeria by students offering gifts to their teachers at school, or by simply wishing their teacher’s a happy teachers day, or by giving them gift cards scripted with nice messages.
Parents of younger children are also known to give their children gifts to present to their teachers, but sometimes, teacher’s day goes unnoticed by both parents and students, but it is announced and recognized by the Federal and state governments.
The 2020 world teacher’s day is proof the Government is active in commemorating the efforts of its best-performing teachers who are all for quality education and who are hard workers.
The teaching profession as we can see is challenging, especially in Nigeria, it requires discipline, responsibility, and the motivation to pass on knowledge to future generations.
It is no easy task, and we celebrate with all our teachers past and present, on this coming World Teacher’s Day.