The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has lamented the shortage of qualified teachers across the country. The council noted that the shortage is more apparent in rural areas, aggravating educational inequality.
Former TRCN Registrar Josiah Ajiboye stated that the increase in primary school enrolment and school numbers challenges Nigeria’s education sector. The registrar noted that quality education is determined by the availability and quality of qualified teachers.
He continued that the teacher-to-student proportion to students in various schools has become unfavorable due to insufficient recruitment of teachers. Also, NUT President, Titus Amba, reiterated that the shortage has left learners with limited educational opportunities in the future.
The president explained that the junior and senior secondary school manpower crisis in the country is worrisome. He noted that few teachers are available to manage vast numbers of students, especially in rural areas.
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Therefore, he called on government officials at all levels to provide well-trained and qualified teachers across Nigerian schools. Amba emphasized that every student deserves a quality education and qualified teachers for sustainable educational development.
According to UBEC data, Nigeria has 65,529 public and 65,848 private primary schools, totaling about 131,377 nationwide. Public primary school students are estimated at 24.2 million, while students in private primary schools are pegged at 7.4 million.
The commission identified unpaid minimum wage and other issues as key challenges affecting teachers in various states and the FCT. Last year, there were reports on how 18 states of the federation failed to recruit teachers from 2019 to 2024.
Recently, FCT teachers went on strike over the area councils’ failure to implement the minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu.
