A Nigerian teacher, Akeem Badru, has been announced as the regional winner for central and southern Africa, of the Cambridge Dedicated Teachers Award. Correspondingly, Badru is in line for the overall winner honour of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teachers Award, alongside 5 other regional winners, The Punch reported.
Badru is a teacher in Ogun state, southwest Nigeria. Through “First Step Initiatives” a Stem and project-based project, he uses craft and model making to promote inquisitiveness, creativity potentials and critical thinking skills of children.
According to The Nation, as a teach Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Ambassador, Badru financed the construction of a borehole for the village as his contribution towards the achievement of 2030 SDGs and to solve the problem of water related diseases that keep his pupils out of school as well as to promote healthy living of his pupils. Voting for the Cambridge award is ongoing and ends on Wednesday May 31.
How overall winner of Cambridge Dedicated Teachers Award will emerge
As a regional winner of the 2023 awards, Badru will reportedly receive £500 worth of books or digital resources, a trophy for the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, and recognition for himself and his school. See some reactions to Badru’s feat below: Folawe Omikunle wrote on Twitter: “So proud of @akeem_badru, a @Teach4Nigeria alumnus who has emerged as the regional winner of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards. He deserves to be named the global winner.”
After evaluating all the nominations, the top 60 will be selected (10 from each continent). Thereafter, the top six regional winners will be determined (which Badru was announced as regional winner for central and southern Africa). The six regional winners then vie for the overall winner (global winner) through voting. Run by Cambridge University Press, the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award is a global competition which celebrates the efforts of teachers around the world.
May 27, 2023