Nigeria’s Public Schools Face Teacher Shortage As 32m Learners Share 592,077 Teachers

Nigeria’s public schools are facing a severe teacher shortage, with 31,827,244 learners relying on 592,077 teachers, translating to an average learner-teacher ratio of 53.8 to one, according to government data.

The figures, contained in the Federal Ministry of Education’s Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System, highlight the mounting human-resource pressure confronting the country’s public education system.

The data shows that while the national average stands at nearly 54 learners to one teacher, the situation is significantly worse in some states, with Kano recording 88 learners per teacher and Katsina 87.4.

The development comes amid warnings from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over a shortage of qualified teachers in public schools.

NUT President, Comrade Audu Amba, said the situation was alarming, citing a Universal Basic Education Commission survey which identified a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools across the country.

The latest government data recorded 108,016 public schools, but only 84,177 submitted data, representing a 77.9 per cent reporting rate.

The scale of the challenge is further reflected in classroom availability. The 592,077 teachers are serving learners across 394,836 classrooms, producing a national learner-classroom ratio of 60.1 to one.

The census also recorded a learner-to-school ratio of 296.2, indicating that the average public school caters for nearly 300 learners.

State-level figures show significant disparities in teacher availability.

Kano recorded the highest number of learners in the data, with 5,226,239, and a learner-teacher ratio of 88 to one. Its learner-classroom ratio stood at 91.7 to one, indicating pressure on both teachers and facilities.

Katsina followed with 1,920,270 learners and a learner-teacher ratio of 87.4 to one. Its learner-classroom ratio was even higher at 107 to one.

Imo State recorded 1,243,543 learners and a learner-teacher ratio of 82.2 to one, while its learner-classroom ratio stood at 75.7 to one.

Other states with high learner-teacher ratios included Jigawa at 72.8 to one, Kaduna at 72.7, Abia at 72, Bauchi at 69.7, Kebbi at 63.5 and Borno at 59.8.

Jigawa recorded 1,567,300 learners, Kaduna 2,418,712, Abia 707,382, Bauchi 1,535,858, Kebbi 956,163 and Borno 954,160.

The figures suggest that the challenge extends beyond the overall number of teachers to their distribution relative to learner populations and classroom availability.

At the other end of the scale, Cross River recorded the lowest learner-teacher ratio in the supplied data at 13.6 to one, although its reported learner population was only 8,168.

Enugu followed with 17.1 learners per teacher and 364,227 learners, while Ekiti recorded 18.4 to one, with 286,517 learners.

Other relatively low learner-teacher ratios were recorded in Anambra at 23.9 to one, Delta at 23.2, Bayelsa at 25.2, Benue at 30.5, Akwa Ibom at 31.5, Ebonyi at 32.2, Gombe at 37.6 and the Federal Capital Territory at 18.7.

The disparity is also evident in classroom availability. Enugu recorded a learner-classroom ratio of 25.2, Anambra 22.5, Benue 22.9, Bayelsa 24.2, Delta 20.7 and Akwa Ibom 47.7.

Conversely, Katsina recorded 107 learners per classroom, followed by Kano at 91.7, Borno at 84.7, Jigawa at 77.6, Imo at 75.7 and Abia at 74.4.

The latest government figures come amid repeated warnings by the NUT over the shortage and uneven distribution of qualified teachers in public schools.

Amba said field reports indicated an “alarming manpower crisis,” with some primary schools operating with only one or two teachers, a situation he warned could undermine learning outcomes.

He also called on governments to employ the “right number and quality” of teachers, stressing the need to address welfare and remuneration challenges affecting the attraction and retention of teachers.

The NUT’s figure of 194,876 represents the estimated shortage specifically in public primary schools, while the Federal Ministry’s 592,077 figure covers the broader public-school teaching workforce captured in the census.

The two figures, therefore, represent different measures of the education workforce and should not be directly compared or subtracted.