The President's Teachers and School Excellence Awards were introduced in 2007 as a management performance tool and strategy for motivating teachers in the on-going reform programme of government, to improve quality education delivery in Nigeria. This year's edition was held on the World Teachers Day, at the Eagle's Square, Abuja, in presence of Chineme Okafor. The World Teachers Day, October 5, provided another opportunity for the federal government to celebrate the best of primary, junior and senior secondary schools across the country, through the Presidents' Teachers and School Excellence Awards (PTSEA). The maiden edition of the awards was held on Children's Day, 2007, but was subsequently moved to the World Teachers Day. Academic, behavioral and administrative excellence, were some of the prerequisite for nomination for the awards. Others are teachers' output in terms of learning, achievements of the pupils and general ambience of the schools. In the category were Best Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools awards. The second category featured Best Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, while the third featured Best Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools Administrators. Each state was given equal opportunity to participate, and, according to the organisers, transparency and credibility of the award is ensured with the involvement of state officials in the nomination process at the state level only, while the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and the National Council on Education (NCE), as well as relevant agencies such as, National Teachers' Institute (NTI), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Teachers' Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Education Trust Fund (ETF), and All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), constituting the National Selection Panel.
The Best Primary Schools were Local Government Education Authority Central Primary School, Katsina Ala, Benue State, which came first; followed by Araromi Nursery/Primary School, Lagos; Yakubu Mu'azu Model Primary School, Sokoto; Community Primary School, Ndufu, Igbudu, Ebonyi State; and Muslim School. Isoku-Ijebu-Ode, Ogun States, in the second, third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively. The Best Junior Secondary Schools were, Lagos State Junior Model College, Epe, Lagos; Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Mani, Katsina State; Sacred Heart Girls' Model Secondary School. Ubiaja, Edo State; Government Secondary School, Henshaw Town, Calabar; and Offa Junior Grammar School Offa, Kwara States, in the same order. The Best Senior Secondary Schools were, Government Girls' College, Dala-Kano; Capital School, Kaduna; Government College (Pilot) Funtua, Katsina State; Goverment Girls' College, Doma, Gombe State; Government Girls' Unity Secondary School, Bodinga, Sokoto, and St Louis Senior Grammar School, Akure, Ondo State, also in the same order. In the second category, Iyere Rose Rabi, from Edo State, emerged the Best Primary School Teacher, followed by Garba Mansur, from Kano; Babarinlo Samson, Oyo; Aderemi Florence, Lagos and Ajayi Babasola from Ekiti States, respectively. The Best Junior Secondary School Teachers were Yekini Shefi (Lagos), Anekwe Ukoma (Abia) , Okon Bassey Ekpeyong (Akwa Ibom), Akpen Peter Ade (Benue) and Orege Akinyemi (Ondo). Best Senior Secondary School Teachers were, Odukoya, O.T, (Lagos), Ajaja Bolanle Funmilayo (Ekiti), Sulai Erasmus (Gombe), Egor Obeten(Cross River), and Udoh Akpakpan (Akwa Ibom). For the School Administrators Awards, the Best Primary Schools Administrators were Evogor Emeng (Cross River), Bisuga M. O (Ogun), Talabi Eyiyemi (Ekiti), Nkwo Adiaha, (Akwa Ibom), and Uba A. M (Kano). Best Junior Secondary Schools Administrators were, Nwagboso R. C (Abia), Agidi Rasaki (Lagos), Edokpayi B. O (Edo), Joshua Nseogbongo (Akwa Ibom), and Ochigbo Daniel (Benue). Best Senior Secondary Schools Administrators were, Achimugu Lawrence (Kogi), Alonge Margaret Oyekanmi (Ekiti), Ogboye S. A (Lagos), Oloyede O. A (Kwara), and Fabulous Amos Metaboh (Gombe). Prizes ranging from laptops, 29- inch flat screen television sets, giant-size refrigerators, certificates of honour and a Peugeot 206 salon car were given to recipients of the awards. The car went to the overall winner, Dr. Achimugu Lawrence from St. Peters College, Ida, Kogi State. Fielding questions from newsmen later, Achimugu attributed his success to hard work and dedication to duty, and urged his colleagues to strive for the best even as he chided government for lacking the political will to ensure good working conditions for teachers.
