THE First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during this year’s World Teachers’ Day, which had the theme: “Focusing on the Global Teacher Shortage,” lamented the shortage of teachers across the country, and called for a renewed attention to the pressing global teacher shortage, saying the challenge must be confronted with urgency.
SENATOR Tinubu who described teachers as true heroes, shaping minds, nurturing dreams and guiding generations, identified herself as a lifelong teacher and called for greater investment in educators, empowerment of teaching staff and measures to inspire more people to join the profession.
ONE of the challenges of the educational system in Nigeria is the inadequate number of teachers at all levels. While most public schools lack adequate professional teachers, the private ones often engage unqualified teachers. In public schools, there have been little efforts from the government to recruit teachers to fill the void left by those retiring from service.
ACCORDING to a recent report from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), only 915,913 teachers are responsible for 31,771,916 pupils in public and private primary schools across the country, revealing that the teacher-pupil ratio now stands at a disturbing 1:35. This is a far cry from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s ( UNESCO) recommended ratio of 1:25 for lower and middle basic classes, a standard designed to ensure that each child receives the attention required for sound learning and intellectual development.
THE statistics are sobering. Nigeria has at least 131,377 primary schools serving a combined 24.2 million pupils in public institutions and 7.4 million in private schools. At a recent stakeholders’ meeting organised by UBEC in collaboration with the Private Sector Advisory Group in 2024, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hamid Bobboyi, stated that out of the 694,078 teachers needed at the primary level, only 499,202 are available. This creates a significant shortfall of 194,876 teachers, which is nearly 28 per cent.
NATIONAL Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data show that the number of registered primary school teachers increased only slightly, from 1.41 million in 2020 to 1.47 million in 2022, just 4.3 per cent growth over three years. However, UBEC figures for 2025 indicate a sharp decline to 915,593 teachers, suggesting rising attrition. Differences in administrative data sources partly explain the variation, but both point to an overall teacher deficit and slow replenishment of the workforce.
NIGERIA’S basic education system faces a deepening teachers shortage that threatens learning outcomes and long-term national development. Recruitment has stalled, with some states failing to hire new teachers for years after the retirement of some of them, while low wages, poor working conditions, limited professional development and migration have accelerated attrition. Teachers shortage in Nigeria stem from a mix of structural and perception-based factors. While many are common to education systems worldwide, their impact in Nigeria has been amplified by policy and funding constraints, workforce morale challenges and uneven professional standards, which include low pay and weak welfare system, negative perception of teaching, rural-urban disparities, policy and funding gaps, among others.
EDUCATION is the cornerstone of development in any country, playing a vital role in shaping the citizens who drive the nation’s progress. It empowers individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the world, understand their history and civilisation, and compete globally. Within this framework, teachers are the key contributors; they shape the future of the nation by mentoring young minds, providing them with a nurturing environment, identifying their potential, believing in them, making them aware, encouraging them, teaching them and thereby shaping the leaders of tomorrow. While the role of knowledge and a skilled society with visions and aspirations in the success of a nation cannot be stressed enough, it should also be remembered that knowledge cannot be acquired if it is not sought and received through the help of teachers.
THE HOPE, therefore, calls for urgent action to address the shortage of teachers in the country. We appeal to the Federal Government to increase national budget for education in order to address some of these challenges. A national salary and incentive framework would help ensure competitive pay and timely allowance disbursement, while targeted rural deployment packages, including housing and hardship allowances, to attract teachers to the areas where they are most needed, should be put in place. Equally important is expanding professional development and structured mentorship for early-career teachers, coupled with a dedicated national teacher taskforce to monitor recruitment, welfare and classroom outcomes.
WHILE we commend the First Lady for her concern and foresight regarding the need for teachers’ recruitment and motivation, The Hope calls on the Federal Government to consciously adopt a policy that will strategically and radically turn education, and by extension, fortune of this country around. While appealing to the First Lady to use her good offices to make sure that this urgent need is given utmost attention, The Hope calls on all states to do more about boosting education. They should employ qualified teachers, train them and prioritise their welfare as it is done in some climes to attract the best brains.
WITHOUT urgent actions to reverse shortage of teachers in the country, Nigeria risks worsening learning outcomes, which can further weaken the already fragile education system.