Wisdom International School of Excellence (WISE), Sauka, Abuja, has emerged as a standout institution in Nigeria’s teaching landscape after producing the overall winner of the Maltina Teacher of the Year in 2025 and a first runner-up in the 2026 edition.
The latest recognition came on Thursday at the grand finale of the 12th Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, where WISE teacher, Mrs. Cariyat Yusuf Olorunfemi, emerged as the first runner-up, receiving a cash prize of N5 million.
Her feat came barely a year after another WISE teacher, Ms. Serah Yusuf, won the overall Maltina Teacher of the Year 2025, giving the Abuja-based school a rare back-to-back presence among the top awardees of Nigeria’s prominent teaching recognition.
The development has placed the spotlight not only on Olorunfemi’s achievement but also on WISE’s approach to teacher development, practical learning and skills-based education.
Olorunfemi, a Basic Science and Entrepreneurship/Blue Skills Development teacher, was recognised for an approach that connects classroom learning with practical enterprise, environmental education and aquaculture.
Through initiatives including Girl Education GEMS with Cariyat, Environmental Education and Entrepreneurship Development, and WISE Blue, she has encouraged learners to view education beyond examinations and explore how knowledge and skills can translate into economic opportunities.
The organisers said her learner-centred approach, practical teaching methods and work in promoting girl-child entrepreneurship in a semi-urban community distinguished her from more than 2,000 entries received from across the country.
Speaking after receiving the award, Olorunfemi dedicated the recognition to her learners and the entire WISE community.
“This award is not for me alone. It is for every child in WISE who wakes up to academic, science, environmental, community activities, feed fish before assembly, who writes a business plan with N10,000 capital, who believes that water can create wealth.”
She added: “It is for Wisdom International School of Excellence that gave me the platform to innovate. I am proud to be a teacher.”
For WISE management, the latest recognition represents more than an individual achievement.
The school described Olorunfemi as a reflection of its emphasis on innovative teaching, teacher development and community impact, noting that her success demonstrates the value of giving teachers the platform to experiment with practical approaches to learning.
The school’s recent record has also drawn attention to its focus on skills-based education. In October 2026, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund supported WISE with the commissioning of a Digital Learning Centre.
With Olorunfemi’s emergence as first runner-up following Yusuf’s overall victory last year, WISE has now had teachers occupy the two highest positions across consecutive editions of the Maltina Teacher of the Year competition.
As celebrations continued at the school community in Sauka, parents and learners described Olorunfemi as a teacher who combines classroom instruction with mentorship, entrepreneurship and practical skills development.
