Comrade Audu Titus Amba, the National President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), revealed that persistent security challenges and a shortage of teachers have caused severe setbacks to the Nigerian school system.
Amba stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2024 World Teachers’ Day celebration speaking on a theme, “Valuing Teachers’ Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education.”
He emphasised the need for Federal and State governments to implement robust security measures to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and education workers.
“This is one key way the nation can assure free and unhindered access to education as a fundamental right of all children and youth,” he stated.
Amba added that the education sector continues to suffer from attacks by terrorists, kidnappings by bandits, and School-Related Gender-Based Violence.
According to the NUT president, natural disasters such as floods and pandemics have also added to the situation, all of which have disrupted teaching and learning across Nigeria.
“Teachers, learners and other education support workers have been victims of attacks by terrorists, kidnappings by bandits, School-Related Gender-Based Violence, as well as natural disasters such as pandemics and floods,” Daily Trust quoted him saying. “These security challenges have negatively affected teaching and learning in our school system.”
He called for increased government investment in education, stressing that budgetary allocations have consistently fallen short of internationally recommended benchmarks.
Amba lamented that over the years, Nigeria’s education budget has been far from the recommended 6% of GDP or 20% of the national budget.
Teacher Shortage Crisis
Another challenge Amba identified was the acute shortage of teachers. According to a 2024 survey by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Nigeria’s public primary schools are short of nearly 200,000 teachers.
Amba pointed out that in many schools, especially in rural areas, there are only one or two teachers available to manage large numbers of students, leading to what he described as “learning poverty.”
“Reports from the field reveal an alarming manpower crisis, where some primary schools are barely managed by one or two teachers, leaving pupils to suffer learning poverty with a bleak future ahead.”
He urged governments at all levels to heed the global call to provide well-trained and well-supported teachers, asserting that every student deserves access to a qualified teacher for sustainable educational development.
Amba reiterated the need for substantial reforms, including better teacher training, recruitment, and investment in school infrastructure.
He appealed to all governments to prioritize education by addressing these challenges, ensuring that every child in Nigeria receives the quality education they deserve.
The World Teachers Day celebration holds every October 5 and serves as a platform for stakeholders in the education sector to discuss issues affecting the teaching profession and chart the way forward for a more resilient education system.