A principal from Zamfara State has been honored as the top principal in the country at the 2024 Presidential Teachers and School Excellence Award.

World Teachers’ Day, celebrated annually on October 5th, was established by UNESCO in 1994 to acknowledge and celebrate the vital contributions of teachers in shaping society.

The winners of the 2024 teachers’ awards were revealed and received various prizes from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, during a ceremony held on Saturday at Eagle Square in Abuja.

Musa Yahaya Paila, the principal of Sambo Secondary School in Gusau, a public institution, was awarded the Best Principal Award in the public Senior Secondary Schools category. Mr. Paila received a medal along with a brand-new car.

Mr Musa Paila poses with the car which he won at the award ceremony

Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson for Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, commended the principal for his achievement. He noted that this award reflects the positive outcomes of the state of emergency declared in Zamfara's educational sector by Governor Lawal on November 14, 2023. “Governor Lawal’s administration is committed to revitalizing the education sector, which had nearly collapsed,” Mr. Idris remarked.

On Saturday, the Nigerian Government marked the 2024 World Teachers’ Day with the theme “Valuing Teachers’ Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education.”

Additionally, other winners of the 2024 Presidential Teachers and School Excellence Award were recognized and awarded various gifts. The recipients, representing both public and private primary and secondary schools across the nation, received prizes that included cars, motorcycles, generators, and other items.