Teach For Nigeria Honours 499 Education Leaders for Transforming Underserved Communities
Teach For Nigeria has inducted 499 Fellows and School Leaders from its 2026 graduating class into its alumni community
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Teach For Nigeria has inducted 499 Fellows and School Leaders into its 2026 alumni community after two years of transforming education in underserved communities.
The 2026 graduating class, joining the TFN Alumni community, comprises Fellows and School Leaders who have transformed learning experiences in underserved communities over the past two years through initiatives aimed at improving educational outcomes.
The Class of 2026 implemented projects that covered literacy and numeracy programmes, digital literacy, teacher professional development, school improvement, gender equity and girls’ empowerment, climate action and youth empowerment, in Lagos and Ogun states.
Speaking at the ceremony, held on Friday in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Teach For Nigeria, Molade Adeniyi, said the graduates demonstrated that leadership was not defined by titles but by the willingness to serve and confront educational challenges.
“When we started Teach For Nigeria, we did not have a movement, an alumni network, or a proven model. What we had was a conviction and unanswered questions. Those founding questions have been answered not by theories, but by you,” he said.
Olajiga urged the graduates to see themselves as champions, stressing that true leadership was reflected in the choices individuals made to create change.
“Champions are not defined by trophies; they are defined by their choices. It is the choice to stand in front of the classroom every single morning when conditions are difficult. It is the choice to look at the child everyone else has written off and say, ‘I see something in you, and I’m not giving up on you,’” he said.
He added that behind every statistic were individual stories of children whose lives had been transformed through the efforts of the education leaders.
“A number is a room full of names. Inside 446,000 children is a girl who couldn’t see the board until one of you discovered that. Inside that number is a boy who thought school wasn’t for him until one of you refused to let him disappear. Inside that number is a child who will reach secondary school because one of you made that possible,” Olajiga said.
