By CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE

Education, we all know, is the cornerstone of national development. That's why government at different strata and corporate organizations play big and revolutionary roles in

building a robust educational system in Nigeria. For example, in 2015, the Nigerian breweries instituted the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition to reward secondary school teachers and execute infrastructural projects in a school from which the overall winner of the competition emerges. That the annual Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition has leapfrogged teachers from the dungeon of obscurity and poverty to the platform of national limelight and riches, in addition to giving their teaching careers a boost, is an irrefutable truism.

Since 2015, when the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition debuted in Nigeria, eleven teachers had won the competition, with Mrs. Rose Nkem Obi winning the maiden edition of the competition. The past winners of the competition are good at the subjects, which they teach students in their respective schools. So what emboldened Sarah Yusuf to enter the 2025 Maltina of the Year Competition was her masterful application of her pedagogical skills and craft in imparting knowledge to her students.

Before November 21, 2025, Sarah Yusuf was a demure, nondescript, and unobtrusive English language and literature teacher at Wisdom International School of Excellence (WISE) Abuja. But good fortune smiled on her and she won the 2025 Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, which thrust her into limelight and national consciousness. So now, she has got on the list of past winners of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition.

Her emergence as the 2025 Maltina Teacher of the Year was neither a coincidence nor a fluke. Sarah Yusuf's acquisition of robust and well-rounded education; and, her participation in pedagogical-enhancing-training positioned her to win the most invaluable teachers' prize in Nigeria. And her strict family upbringing, which imbued her with the virtues of humility, discipline, love of education, and craving for excellence, contributed no less to her victory in the competition.

Sarah Yusuf studied English language/Theatre Arts at the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa. Thereafter, she proceeded to the Kogi State University, Anyigba where she obtained a degree in English and literary studies. Being a NASELITE while studying at Kogi State University enhanced her intellectual growth and inculcated the love of teaching into her.

Not unexpectedly, she chose the teaching career upon her completion of her university education. As a teacher, she had stints at secondary schools in Abuja before her teaching ship berthed at Wisdom International School of Excellence (WISE), Lugbe, Abuja, some five years ago. Teaching is her niche as she is burning with unquenchable desire to equip young learners with communication and literacy skills.

More so, publicizing the advantages of innovative teaching and inspiring young female educators to break the glass ceilings in their various endeavours and careers motivated her to enter the 2025 Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition. And her desire to help down-trodden school children realize their dreams and potentialities coupled with her interactions with other well-read people on such platforms as EDU IMPACT and TEACHER X impelled her to participate in the 2025 Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition.

And it is not debatable that Sarah Yusuf's methodology of teaching, which she demonstrated at the different stages of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, tipped the balance in her favour, and propelled her to victory. So she became the eleventh winner of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, which debuted in 2015.

"My methodology of teaching is project-based, learner-centred, innovative, and digitally driven. I prioritize and appropriate interactive learning, critical thinking, real-life application of theories, and digital literacy to create engaging and inclusive classroom experiences," Yusuf said.

Born in Abejukolo, Omala LGA in Kogi State to Christian parents, her personality was moulded by her immersion into her town's cultural practices and the inculcation of Christian and family values into her by her parents. And her possession of empathy, which led her to found Voice From the Slum Initiative (VOISIN), is an aspect of her fascinating personality. She has been using the VOISIN platform to equip girls living in disadvantaged communities with literacy skills. Those girls' acquisition of literacy skills has enabled them to excel in diverse endeavours.

So it cannot be gainsaid that the yearly hosting of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, the winner of which is handsomely rewarded, has inspired teachers to increase their knowledge and sharpen their pedagogical skills. Ms Sarah Yusuf, who won the 2025 edition of the competition, received the princely sum of ten million naira. And an infrastructural project will be executed at the school where she teaches.

The winner of the maiden edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, Mrs. Rose Nkem Obi, said this about the competition: "By showcasing outstanding educators in both public and private secondary schools and rewarding their hard work, it has restored pride in the teaching profession, motivated more teachers to sharpen their skills and encouraged healthy competition that promotes creativity and commitment to students' success "

•Chiedu Uche Okoye, a poet, writes from Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State. He can be reached via 08062220654 and 09125204141