It’s time to save the teaching profession

Each year on October 5, the world marks Teachers’ Day with a theme that reflects pressing issues in the teaching profession and encourages policies aimed at advancing the education sector or addressing its persistent challenges. It is a moment not just for celebration, but for sober reflection on the state of education and the welfare […]

Each year on October 5, the world marks Teachers’ Day with a theme that reflects pressing issues in the teaching profession and encourages policies aimed at advancing the education sector or addressing its persistent challenges. It is a moment not just for celebration, but for sober reflection on the state of education and the welfare of teachers.

This year’s World Teachers’ Day is anchored on the theme: “Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession.” The theme underscores the transformative power of collaboration in education. It calls for a paradigm shift from the traditional, solitary model of one teacher per classroom to a more dynamic, team-based approach. Collaboration, as the theme argues, is the engine of educational transformation that fosters peer networks, shared planning time, and collective problem-solving tools that can reinvigorate teaching and learning.

This approach sounds promising, and globally, it is gaining momentum, especially in the face of a growing teacher shortage. However, in Nigeria, where teachers often lack even the most basic resources, collaboration feels more like a distant aspiration than an immediate reality.

It doesn’t take much digging to uncover the deep-rooted problems plaguing Nigeria’s teaching profession. These issues have lingered for decades, becoming more entrenched with passing administrations. They are glaring, nagging, and yet, disturbingly ignored. Overcrowded classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, poor remuneration, and a lack of professional development opportunities have turned teaching into a burden rather than a calling. Teachers in Nigeria are not only overworked and underpaid, they are undervalued and frequently cast aside. Many operate in environments devoid of basic teaching aids, personal security and even sanitary conditions.

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The erosion of respect for the profession is perhaps one of the most damaging trends. Teaching, once revered as a noble and dignified profession, is now viewed by many as a stopgap, a temporary job or a stepping stone to something better. For graduates with poor academic records, it has become the default fallback, a kind of last resort rather than a first choice. This perception not only undermines the profession but also contributes to the chronic shortage of qualified teachers across the country.

A 2024 survey conducted by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) revealed a staggering deficit of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools nationwide. This figure is not just alarming; it is a national emergency. Yet, many state governors continue to drag their feet in recruiting teachers; an action that continues to widen equal access to education by denying millions of children their rights to quality education. This lack of political will, mostly at the state level is a reflection of how little value is placed on education.

Yet at the national level, the Nigerian government has pledged to introduce improved welfare packages for teachers. As part of the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebrations, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, acknowledged the critical role teachers play in nation-building and assured that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, efforts would be made to ensure every Nigerian child receives high-quality education.

Alausa’s words were encouraging as he emphasized that well-trained and supported teachers are the bedrock of any successful education system. But Nigerians have heard such promises before. The real question remains whether these pledges will translate into action. To move beyond declarations, perhaps Nigeria needs to look externally to countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Finland that have elevated teaching to a high-status profession with rigorous training and attractive incentives.

No doubt, improving welfare packages is a start, but it must be accompanied by systemic reforms. Recruitment must be prioritised and training must be continuous. Infrastructure must be upgraded and the safety of teachers must be guaranteed. Most importantly, teachers must be respected not just in words, but in deeds. This should reflect in enhancing their welfare packages to include competitive salaries, decent housing, and accessible healthcare benefits. It also means initiating a cultural shift that repositions teaching as a prestigious and impactful career.

We at Daily Trust maintain that Nigerian teachers have for decades carried the weight of the nation’s progress, shaping young minds and nurturing big dreams. Now is the time to repay that debt; their reward is not in heaven. Like everyone, their sacrifices should be honoured with dignity, support, and respect while they live to see it.

We call for regular training programmes to be institutionalized to keep teachers updated, motivated, and equipped to meet the evolving demands of the classroom. Classrooms must also be equipped with modern teaching aids and facilities that support collaborative learning if the vision of team-based teaching is to be realized.

We understand that reforms like this must take time to mature but they must also start now. We call on stakeholders in the education sector to look beyond World Teachers’ Day as a one-day affair but a project that should serve as a catalyst for year-round advocacy, investment, and reform. State governments must not just embrace these reforms but drive them as these structures cannot work without massive recruitment to bring qualified teachers into the education system and bridge the existing gap.