The Nigerian Teachers Community (NTC), the world’s largest online forum for educators with over 700,000 members from more than 100 countries, has voiced serious concerns regarding the alarming influx of unqualified and unregistered teachers in private schools across Nigeria.
This revelation was made by Dr. Peter Ogudoro, the leader of the community, during a workshop titled “Transformation Leadership in the Education Sector” held in Lagos on Saturday.
Dr. Ogudoro emphasized that the recruitment of unqualified teachers poses a significant threat to the quality of education in the country. He urged school owners nationwide to prioritize hiring only registered and licensed educators to ensure that educational standards are upheld. The workshop aimed at providing school leaders with essential skills to enhance the quality of education, thereby equipping students to compete globally and reducing the high unemployment rates and pervasive poverty in Nigeria.
The educationist further pointed out that many proprietors of private schools often lack the professional skills necessary to make informed hiring decisions.
He encouraged these administrators to seek the required training to effectively recruit qualified teachers. While acknowledging that a large percentage of teachers in public schools are well-trained, he lamented that the same cannot be said for private institutions.
“Our goal is to upgrade the quality of service in our schools. By doing so, we can address the unemployment crisis and, in turn, contribute to alleviating poverty in Nigeria,” Dr. Ogudoro stated.
He highlighted the workshop’s success in training school leaders from various private schools, equipping them with the knowledge to hire better and to encourage existing unqualified teachers to pursue further education without abandoning their jobs.
Dr. Ogudoro also underscored the inadequate investment in science education in Nigeria, noting that even students studying sciences often lack the practical skills needed to be competitive on a global scale. He criticized the current education system for fostering rote learning, which results in graduates who may excel academically but are unable to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.
In a bid to address this gap, Dr. Ogudoro announced that the NTC and its partners would award scholarships valued at over N400 million to 20 students, enabling them to receive quality education that would prepare them to contribute positively to Nigeria’s development upon their return. He emphasized the importance of providing these students with the best educational opportunities, as many parents cannot afford foreign education.
The NTC is also conducting intensive classroom sessions throughout August, focusing on preparing students for international examinations. Naime Jahum, a proprietress from a school in Kano, echoed Dr. Ogudoro’s sentiments, attributing the rise of unregistered private schools to high unemployment rates, which lead to profit-driven motives at the expense of educational quality.
Mrs. Jahum called for a greater emphasis on fostering a reading culture within school curricula to enhance students’ learning experiences. As the NTC continues to advocate for improved educational standards, the call to action resonates across the nation, emphasizing the urgent need for qualified educators in Nigeria’s private schools.