Nigeria’s Celebrity Teacher To Emerge Soon As 20 Contestants Engage In Reality TV Show

By Frank Oshanugor

In a few days from now, 20 Contestants who came out tops from a pool of 950 contenders across the states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja would engage in a battle of wits on national television to decide who becomes Nigeria’s best teacher.

According to the organisers, the idea behind the “teach and win” programme is to reward creativity and excellence in teaching.
Project Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Education Initiative Nigeria – EIN (one of the organisers in collaboration with Initiative For Educational Development And Literacy – IFEDAL ), Dr. Adebare Egunjobi in a recent press conference, said “we are tired of Reality Shows that promote nudity, immorality and all sorts of appearances not good for our children.

“Teach and Win Reality TV show will promote moral values, education, showcasing teachers and rewarding them. The Reality Show would also promote excellence, passion, creativity. It will be educating, enriching and so on.”

The emerging “Teach and Win Reality TV Show” is intended to be the largest competition and reality television show for teachers in Nigeria. If the words of the organisers are anything to go by, it means the stereotyped belief that teachers reward is in heaven can now arguably be modified to say that teachers’ reward
begins here on earth.

The competition which began a few weeks ago with the initial participation of more than 950 teachers from different parts of the country, is now heading for finals with 20 contestants. The initial number through contest that followed elimination procedure was scaled down to 140 teachers at the preliminaries. Fifty teachers made it through the Auditioning stage until the last 20 outstanding teachers eventually emerged after a rigorous contest.

The “lucky 20” contestants from different parts of the country would soon be in the House for about four weeks where they would undergo several stages of teaching, learning and coaching. Elimination would suffice for about three weeks until only five best contestants are left to contest in the final week with the winner emerging to clinch the star prize of N2.5million and a plot of land worth N9million in Lagos/Ogun area.

The second winner would win N1.5million while the third place winner goes home with N1 million. Apart from the prize money, the second and third winners are also entitled to a plot of land each in Lagos/Ogun axis.

One of the nine females among the 20 contestants going for Reality TV Show, Miss Blessing Nwaebuni Okwuokei from Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government of Delta State is quite hopeful of coming tops in the four-week competition. Currently, she is a teacher at Apata Memorial School in Okota area of Lagos.

Speaking with Atlanticnewsonline on Friday in Lagos, Okwuokei said she took interest in “Teach and Win Reality TV Show because she is an advocate of quality education and she is also passionate about teaching.

“Secondly, my students motivate me with their comments during my classes. They say to me that I am the best teacher as they enjoy my classes all the time. Also I want to see how I measure up with my colleagues and make myself a better teacher.”

Though, there may be challenges for the contestants for one person to emerge as the overall best in the competition, yet Okwuokei is quite hopeful. Her words: “It is obvious that all the shortlisted candidates are professionals in their field, just like me. We all have good mastery of our subject and unique way of teaching. However, I hope to try something different that will give me edge over my competitors,” she declared.

A Master’s degree holder in Educational Administration and Planning (M.Ed) from University of Lagos in 2021, Okwuokei had graduated in
2015 with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc Ed.)degree in Business Education from the Lagos State University, Ojo Lagos. She has also obtained a membership certificate in International College of School Administration.

According to her, her strength in the contest for the coveted prize lies in a good mastery of her subject and unique teaching methodology to cater for all kinds of learners.

As someone who is passionate about excellence, if she emerges the best in the competition, Okwuokei hopes to share with other esteemed colleagues from her stream of knowledge, best practices and various methodologies of teaching that will improve both the learning process and the quality of education in Nigeria and Africa.