Two hundred teachers who have been trained to become problem-solvers and agents of change in Nigeria’s education system have graduated from the third cohort of Ashoka Africa’s Changemaker Teacher Activation Programme (CTEACH).
The graduation and award ceremony, held in Lagos, marked the completion of a journey that began with 400 educators and challenged participants to rethink their roles beyond traditional classroom teaching.

The graduating teachers, whom CTEACH Director and Ashoka Africa Co-President Angelou Ezeilo described as “Digital Pioneers,” overcame the challenges of virtual learning while developing skills in empathy, leadership and changemaking.

Ezeilo said the teachers’ resilience and adaptability were particularly commendable, noting that their experiences and feedback helped strengthen the programme’s curriculum.

“They navigated the programme virtually through WhatsApp and the Thinkific digital platform, and their feedback helped us shape and strengthen the curriculum,” she said.

According to her, CTEACH is Nigeria’s localised version of the global “Time for Change” initiative, a collaborative programme led by Teach For All, Ashoka Global and First Book, with funding from Audemars Piguet.

The programme is implemented in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Nigerian Union of Teachers, ANCOPSS, Lantern Books, Wombaugh Studios, United Way of Greater Nigeria, Teach For Nigeria and the Lagos State Parent Forum.

Ezeilo said the programme deliberately began in under-resourced public schools to equip teachers and members of the wider school community with the skills to identify problems and develop solutions.

“Our programme is making an impact. We started with under-resourced public schools because we wanted to provide them with the skills to promote changemaking among teachers and the whole school community,” she said.

She, however, called for greater support from the private sector and communities to sustain and expand the initiative.

“We need the support now from the community and private sector to keep these programmes going in these schools. I need another partner to step up, believe in what we are doing and support it,” Ezeilo said.

She urged the graduating teachers to see their certificates not as the end of their journey, but as the beginning of a greater responsibility to their students and colleagues.

Ezeilo challenged them to mentor future cohorts and continue to promote innovation and problem-solving in their schools as the programme becomes increasingly locally led.

The valedictorian of the 2026 CTEACH cohort, Oluwadamilare Alamu, said the graduation was more than a ceremony to receive certificates.

He described it as a celebration of a fundamental change in the way teachers understand their responsibilities to learners and society.

“The real test of this programme begins when the teachers return to their schools and continue to innovate, listen to their learners and create platforms for them,” Alamu said.

He urged his colleagues to remain committed to challenging existing practices and supporting children who may lack confidence in their abilities.

Opeyemi Adeniyi, a teacher at Araromi Junior Secondary School, Lagos, and a CTEACH Ambassador, said the training had equipped her with practical tools to help students identify and solve problems within their communities.

“As nation builders, if we are able to guide every student in this country to provide solutions to different problems in different corners, then we are going to change Nigeria for good,” Adeniyi said.

Ashoka Africa said it plans to expand CTEACH to more public and private schools, while calling on corporate organisations, community leaders and education advocates to support its vision of building an “Everyone a Changemaker” society, beginning in classrooms and with individual students.