By Habib Tijani
Despite a surplus of education graduates, Nigeria faces an alarming shortage of teachers. Stakeholders blame poor renumeration of teachers, politicization of the recruitment system and a loss of respect for the profession as the root causeof the crisis in Nigerian education system.
Schools across Nigeria are groaning under the weight of a growing crisis—an acute shortage of qualified teachers. While thousands of young Nigerians graduate from colleges of education and universities each year, the number of employed teachers in public schools remains woefully inadequate.
Recent data from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) reveals a shortfall of over 280,000 teachers in basic education alone. This glaring gap has left many classrooms overcrowded and undermanned, with teachers forced to handle multiple subjects and merge classes just to cope.
A Profession in Decline
Many experts argue that Nigeria’s teacher shortage is not a result of a lack of trained personnel but rather a systemic failure to recruit and retain them. “The teacher shortage in Nigeria is not due to lack of graduates,” says Dr. Aminu Bala, an education policy analyst. “It’s due to poor conditions, lack of career growth, and failure to recruit and retain talent.”
In several states, the average monthly salary for public school teachers ranges from ₦30,000 to ₦45,000. Even more troubling is the state of teacher pensions—many retirees go years without their entitlements, while others are denied benefits entirely due to bureaucratic bottlenecks and irregular documentation. For teachers nearing retirement, this uncertainty breeds fear and discouragement.
Musa, a National Certificate in Education (NCE) holder from Kano State, graduated in 2023 but remains unemployed. “I applied for federal and state teaching jobs but heard nothing,” he says. “Now I teach in a private school that pays ₦15,000 a month. It’s barely enough for food and transport, not to add my needs.”
In a secondary school in rural Nasarawa State, only three teachers cater for over 300 students. The principal, who asked not to be named, lamented, “We combine classes. Sometimes students go home without learning anything meaningful.”
The Culture Shift: A Loss of Respect
Beyond the renumeration and recruitment issue, there’s a deeper cultural issue eroding the profession—the loss of respect for teachers. In many private schools today, management prioritizes parental satisfaction over professional standards. Teachers find themselves at the mercy of school owners who fear upsetting fee-paying parents.
“It’s disheartening,” says Mrs. Adeola, a teacher in Lagos. “You try to correct a pupil politely, and the next day, the parent storms in, threatening you. The management often sides with the parent just to keep business running.”
This environment leaves teachers demoralized and powerless. Unlike in past generations when teachers were respected and discipline was balanced with guidance, today’s schools—especially private ones—often shy away from holding pupils accountable. The result is a system that fails to build character and values in students, ultimately shortchanging the society it’s meant to serve.
Insecurity, poor infrastructure, and lack of incentives further worsen the situation. Qualified teachers reject rural postings, while others flee the profession entirely, seeking better opportunities abroad or in unrelated fields.
Female teachers are even more affected, often avoiding rural placements due to safety concerns, isolation, or lack of childcare and support systems.
To fix this multifaceted crisis, stakeholders recommend a holistic approach: increase salaries, settle pension backlogs, establish fair recruitment processes, incentivize rural postings, and—perhaps most importantly—restore the dignity of the teacher.
There should also be a return to respectful boundaries in school settings. Teachers should be allowed to enforce discipline in a professional, non-abusive way that builds responsible and morally upright students.
“Without teachers, there is no education,” Mrs. Adeola adds. “And without education, there is no future.”
If Nigeria is serious about achieving quality education under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it should not only fund the system—but also fix its soul.
Habib Tijani is a graduate of Mass Communication from Nasarawa State University, Keffi. He writes on education, governance, and social development.
