On October 5, Nigeria joined the global community in observing World Teachers’ Day.
It is important to note that this day was set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1994 to recognise the vital role teachers play in shaping societies.
This year’s event, like those before it, served as a poignant reminder of Nigeria’s glaring failure to honor its educators.
For decades, the country’s leaders have used the occasion to make empty promises and hollow speeches, leaving teachers feeling abandoned and undervalued.
The statistics on the plight of teachers and the appalling state of education at the primary and secondary levels are staggering and worrisome.
Sadly, over 70 percent of Nigerian teachers lack basic training; 40 percent of schools operate without adequate infrastructure, and teachers’ salaries are among the lowest in the world.
The neglect of teachers is so severe that few people want to pursue it as a career. Those who still join the teaching profession often do so out of necessity, and they leave at the first available opportunity.
Just like his predecessors, former President Muhammadu Buhari raised and dashed the hopes of teachers regarding improved salaries and better welfare packages.
To mark the 2020 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja, Buhari acknowledged the dearth of qualified and dedicated teachers needed to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at all levels of Nigeria’s educational system.
To address these challenges and set the country on the path to industrialisation, his administration approved there introduction of bursary awards for education students in universities and colleges of education, with the assurance of automatic employment upon graduation. He also promised the payment of stipends to Bachelor of Education students, as well as a new salary scale where an NCE holder would earn above N300,000 monthly. However, he left office without fulfilling most of these promises.
The situation is even worse at the state level, where teachers are owed months of unpaid salaries, work for decades without promotion, and retire into poverty.
Similarly, private school proprietors, despite charging exorbitant fees, exploit teachers by denying them salaries during holidays.
This shameful treatment contradicts the sacrifices teachers make in shaping future leaders. Ironically, Nigeria’s leaders, including those currently in office, are products of teachers’ dedication. Yet, once in power, they forget the individuals who shaped their minds.
The harsh reality is that most classrooms where teachers work lack basic amenities such as electricity, fans, proper ventilation, and toilet facilities. In some cases, pupils sit on bare floors or learn under trees and in open spaces.
Teachers struggle to create conducive learning environments amid inadequate infrastructure, outdated materials, insufficient training, and limited or no access to information and communication technology (ICT).
As a newspaper, we assert that this cycle of neglect must not continue.
To transform the education sector, Nigeria must prioritise its teachers by developing and implementing a competitive salary structure, offering regular pay increases, rewarding exceptional performance, providing professional development funds, and establishing befitting retirement plans, along with low-cost housing schemes and loans.
We also call on President Bola Tinubu and state governors to change the current narrative by prioritising infrastructure development, such as modern classrooms with basic amenities, providing adequate resources, and investing in teacher training to make the profession more attractive.
It goes without saying that infrastructure improvements are critical—modern classrooms with electricity, ventilation, and proper sanitation are not luxuries; they are necessities.
Governments at all levels must commit to tangible reforms, starting with competitive salaries, regular pay increases, and rewards for exceptional performance.
We boldly declare that Nigeria’s future depends on its teachers. We therefore demand action, not rhetoric.
