In 2023, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) reported that only 12 out of Nigeria’s 36 states hired new teachers for state-funded primary and secondary schools, totaling 23,092 new recruits. The states involved were Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, and Ogun.
Anambra led the hiring with 5,000 new teachers, followed by Borno with 4,000 and Adamawa with 3,020. Other notable numbers included Delta and Ekiti with 2,000 each, Kano with 1,750, and Lagos with 1,340.
Despite these efforts, Titus Amba, the National President of the NUT, expressed concerns about the overall shortage of teachers. Many state governments did not replace retiring teachers, exacerbating the issue.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) echoed these concerns, citing the lack of teachers as a significant problem, especially with over 47 million students in 171,027 private and public primary and junior secondary schools across the country. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) also highlighted the shortage of qualified teachers, particularly in rural areas, as a major contributor to educational disparities.
Prof Josiah Ajiboye, the Registrar of TRCN, pointed out that the increasing number of school children and the insufficient hiring of new teachers have resulted in an unfavorable teacher-pupil ratio in many schools.
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