Nigerian Teacher Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize

A teacher at Government Day Secondary School, Karu, Abuja, Mr Olasunkanmi Opeifa, has been shortlisted for this year’s Global Teacher Prize.

The annual award, an initiative of a UK-based Varkey Foundation, is aimed at recognising and celebrating the groundbreaking pedagogic achievements of teachers around the world.

Mr Opeifa, 34, who is alumnus of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, teaches English language.

He has won many awards in the past including the 2018 Maltina-Teacher of the Year Award instituted by Nigeria Breweries Plc for Nigerian teachers.

By that award, which made him the best teacher in Nigeria that year, he won, for himself, a total of N6.5 million (N1.5 million as a national and state champion and N5 million spread equally for next five years), as well as a block of six classrooms for his school, among other benefits.

Opeifa is only Nigerian and one of the five from Africa who made the list of top 50 finalists’ from among thousands of teachers who competed for the Global Teacher Prize this year.

In a letter informing Opeifa of his selection, and signed by the Head of Marketing, Varkey Foundation, Rebecca Warbrick, the organisation said, “We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected from thousands of applications from around the world to be one of our top 50 finalists for the 2020 prize.”

Furthermore, the foundation, stated that the 50 finalists would still be narrowed down by the selection committee to 10 and result to be announced in June from which the star winner from the number would be unveiled at an award ceremony to be held at the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2020.