As NB opens entries for “Maltina Teacher of the Year” CSR initiative

Is it still news that education budgets are stretched thin and the teaching profession is often sidelined in public discourse in Nigeria?

Guess not.

While Nigerian Breweries Plc may think its announcement of the 11th edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition stands out as another CSR headline, what the number one brewer in the country didn’t know is that the competition serves so deliberate a continuation of a key enduring sustainability efforts in the Nigerian education.

CSR Reporters notes that NB, through its Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, is not merely running an award scheme. It is making a long-term statement about the kind of society it believes in and the future it wants to help shape.

Since its inception, the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative has followed a clear trajectory: Spotlighting excellence in teaching, creating national awareness around the role of educators, and reinforcing the link between corporate action and public value.

This year’s flag-off ceremony, held in Lagos, may seem like a routine media event, but from a sustainability lens, it is a reaffirmation of continuity, a principle often missing in the Nigerian CSR landscape where many well-intended initiatives start strong and fizzle out within two to three cycles. That this competition is in its eleventh year is no small feat.

The theme of teacher recognition may not immediately excite traditional CSR pundits obsessed with infrastructure, health interventions, or environmental footprints.

But what Nigerian Breweries is doing here is far more strategic. It is tackling an invisible emergency, the devaluation of educators in Nigeria’s knowledge economy. By centering teachers in national conversations and rewarding them meaningfully, the company is contributing to SDG 4: Quality Education, while also strengthening the social fabric that holds public education together. Teachers are not just recipients of this initiative; they are participants in a larger story of nation-building, dignity, and professional pride.

What makes the Maltina Teacher of the Year competition particularly relevant from a sustainability standpoint is its structure. It does not simply hand out trophies or cash. It involves a rigorous application and assessment process that demands self-reflection, teaching innovation, and community impact.

The call for entries, open from June 24 to August 22, is designed to attract the very best from both public and private secondary schools across the country. This inclusivity ensures that the spotlight is not limited to privileged schools in urban areas, but extends to underfunded rural classrooms where brilliance often blooms under adversity.

The role of strategic partnerships in sustaining this initiative cannot be overstated. With Union Bank, Air Peace, and First City Monument Bank returning as sponsors, Nigerian Breweries is modelling a multi-sectoral approach to CSR that is increasingly important. Rather than carrying the burden alone, the company is convening others to co-own the impact. This not only distributes the financial and logistical load, but also reflects a shift from ego-driven philanthropy to coalition-based development where several brands align behind a common purpose. These partnerships expand the reach of the competition and help embed it deeper into Nigeria’s educational ecosystem.

Further lending the programme credibility is the involvement of key stakeholders like the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), and the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS). These are not passive endorsers. Their continued collaboration gives the competition legitimacy, ensures alignment with national teaching standards, and reinforces trust among potential participants. Their presence at the flag-off was not symbolic; it was structural. It signals that this initiative is not happening in a vacuum it is nested within the formal education community and reflective of its realities.

For Nigerian Breweries, this effort also serves an internal sustainability function. It aligns strongly with their “Brewing a Better World” sustainability agenda by focusing on human development rather than just infrastructure. Where some companies build blocks and walk away, NB is investing in people, the very agents of change within the education system. These are the individuals who will shape future generations, influence community values, and pass down knowledge long after the glitz of corporate campaigns fades. In this sense, the Maltina Teacher of the Year is not an award. It is a multiplier.

From a CSR communications angle, the model is also instructive. The company does not just announce the winners. It follows up with storytelling, profiling past winners, showing the impact in their classrooms, and highlighting their communities.

This kind of feedback loop builds public trust and reminds Nigerians that CSR can and should be accountable. It also inspires younger teachers to innovate, apply, and aspire, thereby creating a culture of excellence that is peer-driven rather than top-down.

One could argue that the real strength of this initiative lies in its intentionality. It was not created in reaction to a crisis. It was not deployed as a one-off gesture to placate regulators or polish brand image during a controversy. It is a deliberate, focused, and sustained effort rooted in the belief that national progress depends on the people who educate its children. That belief has not wavered in over a decade, and in today’s fast-moving, distraction-filled CSR landscape, that kind of focus is rare.

Of course, challenges remain. The education sector is enormous and deeply broken in parts. No competition no matter how well-funded can fix systemic underinvestment, outdated curricula, poor teacher welfare, or mismanagement. But what Nigerian Breweries is doing is refusing to be paralyzed by the scale of the problem. Instead, it is choosing to act where it can, consistently, and with integrity. That is a sustainability lesson many other corporates can learn from.

There is also room for growth. Future editions of the competition could incorporate more digital elements, allowing teachers in remote areas with limited internet access to submit video entries or participate through state-level hubs. There is potential to expand the post-award impact by funding micro-projects proposed by shortlisted teachers ideas that improve their schools or communities, thus turning recognition into tangible change. And over time, the initiative can feed into policy advocacy, using insights from teacher submissions to advise government on educational gaps and innovation potential.

At its core, the Maltina Teacher of the Year competition is not just about honouring teachers. It is about shifting national perception. It is about saying loudly, year after year, that teaching is not a fallback career or a job of last resort. It is a noble profession worthy of reward, recognition, and respect. In that regard, Nigerian Breweries is not just driving CSR. It is pushing for cultural transformation.

And perhaps that is where its greatest sustainability impact lies – not in the plaques or media coverage, but in the thousands of young people watching their teachers being honoured, believing for the first time that what happens in their classrooms matters not just to them, but to the entire nation.

That belief, if sustained, will build the kind of country we all claim we want.