Why Nigeria Needs Better-Trained Teachers, Not Just More Teachers

In many Nigerian classrooms, it is not uncommon to find students quietly copying notes from the board as the teacher reads directly from a textbook or lesson notes. In these scenarios, meaningful teacher-student interaction is minimal, and understanding is often assumed rather than ensured. By the end of the term, those same notes will be memorised and reproduced in an examination that closes the term or session, and then the cycle begins again.

There are classrooms, but neither the teachers nor the students enjoys being there. This problem has many facets, but one of its many causes that we can easily point to is how we train, value and support the people we put in front of our children. 

How many teachers are there in Nigeria?

Nigeria’s education system is significantly understaffed. According to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), only 915,593 teachers currently serve 31.8 million pupils across public and private primary schools nationwide. This is an average ratio of 1:45, although there exist schools with ratios as high as 1:70, which is significantly above the UNESCO’s recommended standard of 1:25. In some conflict-affected states, such as Zamfara, Yobe, and Katsina, classroom overcrowding is nearly double that benchmark as high as 1:100. Meanwhile, UNESCO projects that sub-Saharan Africa will need millions of additional teachers by 2030 to meet the universal education goals, and Nigeria sits at the centre of that gap. 

Part of the problem we face is structural neglect. Eighteen states have failed to recruit a single teacher from 2019 to 2024. Nigeria’s education budget has hovered between 5 and 9% of national expenditure for over a decade. This is far below the UNESCO-recommended threshold of 15 to 20%. 

With these combined causes, the result is a decline in the teacher workforce available, especially as retired teachers are not replaced. Comparing our reality to other countries, Canada alone recruited over 260 Nigerian teachers in 2022

But that is only part of the story.

The deeper problem: Who Is Actually Teaching?

Quantity and quality are not the same thing, and we can better understand that in the Nigerian classroom. Because if we say the solution is to simply place more individuals in the classroom, there is still the challenge of how well prepared these individuals are to teach. Data shows that the evidence on teacher quality is concerning.

UBEC’s data for 2022/2023 shows that approximately one in three teachers in Nigeria’s basic education system (around 492,912 individuals) do not meet the minimum professional qualifications for the role. In south-west Nigeria, despite being the most literate geopolitical zone, as many as 70% of private school teachers are unqualified according to TRCN. 

More than just data or statistics, these have a direct effect on what really happens in classrooms. As mentioned in the beginning, teaching in Nigeria still relies heavily on note-copying and rote memorisation with little emphasis on critical thinking, differentiated instruction, or student engagement. Lessons are delivered in a one-size-fits-all manner that ignores the reality of how differently students learn. Many teachers have not been exposed to modern pedagogical approaches and have not received structured professional development.

It is important to note that this is not a reflection of effort or a lack of intention on the part of the teachers. Many Nigerian teachers pour everything they have into their work, often without adequate materials, infrastructure, or institutional support. The problem, thus, is not a personal failure but a reflection of a system that has not invested enough in teacher preparation for decades.

What This Costs the Country

The consequence of undertrained, unsupported teachers is not peculiar to one school or region alone. It affects the children and the future of our nation. For instance, Nigeria’s 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with UNICEF found that 73% of children aged 7 to 14 lack foundational reading skills and 75% lack foundational numeracy skills. Also, Nigeria currently has an estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children, which is one in every five globally. 

These statistics are scary, especially as they are found in basic education phases. This is because when students are not taught effectively in their foundational years, they carry those deficits upward into secondary schools, tertiary education and eventually into the workforce. This can be corroborated by the recent statement issued by the CEO of Moniepoint, Mr Tosin Eniolorunda, about the existing talent gap in Nigeria.

The result is a compounding disadvantage that shapes the individual life outcomes and, at scale, the country’s capacity for economic growth and innovation. Education is where human capital is built, and a well-built human capital determines the country’s ability to compete, adapt, and grow.

What is the Way Forward Now?

Fixing this challenge requires more than increased recruitment or infrastructure spending. While these are important, they cannot do much without a fundamental reorientation for individuals, institutions, and society at large around the value and rigour of teacher preparation. 

For those training to become teachers, there is a need to shift their intentions. Education is often treated as a fallback career when other options close. To get many applicants to come in, the entry requirements are often greatly reduced compared to those of other professions. As a result, there is a pipeline of graduates who are qualified on paper but not committed in practice. Teaching children is a responsibility that demands the same deliberateness as medicine, law, computer science or engineering. When that seriousness is absent at the pre-service stage, the profession as a whole suffers. 

For teachers already in classrooms, the challenge is continuous growth. The conditions in which students learn are changing, as there are new technologies, shifting needs and newer approaches to instruction. Educators who see themselves only as transmitters of fixed knowledge will struggle in classrooms where the needs have shifted to require more facilitation, adaptability and responsiveness. Remaining effective in this space requires curiosity and a continuous desire for development. 

At the systemic level, a reorientation is needed. Teaching has been devalued economically, socially, and institutionally to a point where capable graduates no longer see it as a worthy calling. The current value and remuneration placed on teaching discourages the best candidates from entering the profession and demoralises those who stay. Reversing this requires more than just salary adjustment but includes a cultural recommitment to the idea that teachers matter. 

Honestly, everything that needs to be done can be done. Countries like Finland, Singapore, and Rwanda have transformed their education systems by treating teacher quality as a strategic national priority, and Nigeria, too, can. Achieving this requires a collaborative effort in policy, funding, practice, and cultural orientation. 

Nigeria Needs Better Teachers, Not Just More of Them

Yes, Nigeria needs more teachers. But more than just numbers, and even more urgently, is the need for better-trained, better-supported, and better-valued teachers who will not only be present in the classroom but are genuinely prepared to make the classroom a place where learning actually happens.