By Rosemary Etim Bassey
The 2025 Maltina Teacher of the Year, Serah Yusuf, has launched a new initiative aimed at improving access to quality education for children in underserved and slum communities across Nigeria.
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The initiative, the Sustainable Education and Empowerment through Digital Foundation (SEED Foundation), was unveiled in Abuja and is focused on education support, digital literacy, mentorship, leadership development, and empowerment programmes for disadvantaged children.
Yusuf, a teacher at Wisdom International School of Excellence, Abuja, emerged as the winner of the ₦10 million grand prize at the 11th Maltina Teacher of the Year competition held in Lagos in November 2025.
Speaking at the unveiling, she said the foundation was created to expand learning opportunities for children in low-income communities and help them build better futures.
“The SEED Foundation was established to ensure that children in slum and underserved communities are not defined by their environment but by their potential,” she said.
She noted that many children with talent are constrained by circumstances beyond their control and called for collective efforts to bridge the gap in educational access.
Yusuf said the foundation will provide training in digital literacy, academic mentorship, leadership development, and other empowerment programmes aimed at preparing children for future opportunities. She added that the initiative seeks to help children “thrive through learning, discover brighter futures, and fulfil their purpose in life”.
Before the SEED Foundation, Yusuf ran the “Voice from the Slum” initiative, through which she supported children with school fees, textbooks, uniforms, and sanitary pads to promote menstrual hygiene.
At the event, she also launched her book, Practical English Made Easy for Nigerian Students: Integrating Digital Tools for JSS 1–SSS 3, designed to improve English language learning using digital tools.
She also presented awards to young creative writers to promote literacy, creativity, and critical thinking among students and awarded a fully funded scholarship to Ayodele Grate, covering education from junior secondary school to university level, with support from Kabir Abass, T.M., of the Wisdom International School of Excellence.
The SEED Foundation also donated digital devices to two students, Noko Modester and Uche Destiny, who were trained in digital literacy and emerged winners at the PLAN International Nigeria Debate and Quizzes Competition 2025.
Yusuf expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Breweries–Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund for the Maltina Teacher of the Year platform, as well as to her school management, mentors, colleagues, family members, and other stakeholders who supported the initiative.
She said the interventions reflect her commitment to identifying and nurturing talent in underserved communities.
Stakeholders at the event described the initiative as a step toward strengthening inclusive education and expanding opportunities for children in disadvantaged communities.
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