To attain the objective of Education for All by 2015, the nation needs 1.3 million teachers. For jobless trained teachers, this should be good news as their days in the labour market are numbered. AKINOLA AJIBADE writes.
The prospect of employment for jobless trained teachers is bright. Soon, many of them will be employed to ensure the nation attains the goal of Education for All by 2015 as contained in the Universal Basic Education (UBE) agenda of the Federal Government.
Director-General of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCEE) Prof Muhammed Junaid, said there is room for 1.3 million teachers, advising those qualified to apply.
During the 35th pre-convocation lecture of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, Junaid said 1.3 million teachers are needed to bridge the existing shortfall at the basic education level.
Citing the Federal Ministry of Education Roadmap to Transformation, Junaid said 969,078 teachers are needed in the early childhood and care education sub-sector; 338,147 teachers, primary education sub-sector; 12,329 nomadic education; and 581 junior secondary education. He put the figure of teachers shortage at the basic education at 1,320,135, adding that the commission has designed policies to address the problem.
The government, he said, must raise the production capacity of colleges of education to 330,033 teachers per annum, as against the estimated capacity of 64,000 teachers per annum.
Former chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COASU), Epe Chapter, Comrade Yede Francis, said the projection for 1.3 million teachers is right, because of the dearth of teachers in the country.
He said: “There is no mistake in Junaid’s statement that the country needs 1.3 million teachers. Studies have shown that there are not enough teachers at the primary school level. It is an issue that must be given the desired attention. This means a lot of opportunities have opened up for prospective teachers in Nigeria. We need more teachers, and people must rise to the challenge to save the education sector from collapse.”
Francis said no nation can arise above its present level without sufficient teachers, arguing that the opposite is the case in Nigeria where people are running away from teachings.
He said enrolment into the Colleges of Education has slowed down because people are shying away from teaching the profession.
“Even, enrolment into universities for education course has reduced. The reason is because teachers are not well-remunerated unlike their counterparts in Europe, United States, among other developed economies. Also, teachers who have between 10 and 20 years post-qualification experience are not better either. They are not well- treated.The sdevelopment has made many people to run from teaching, resulting in the shortage of teachers in the country. Based on this, more people are needed to fill the vacuum created in the teaching profession,” he said.
He said more teachers need to be trained to create jobs at the junior secondary, and primary school level, adding that private and nursery schools are longing to employ quality teachers.
The Union leader said education facilities are lacking in Nigeria, arguing the issue has affected the quality of teaching in schools. He said some teachers can no longer teach well after 10 or 20 years, advising the government to review the curriculum to provide standard education. He said when this happens, fresh teachers would get opportunities to work and earn a living.
Francis said teaching opportunities are limitless, urging graduates to utilise them well and stop complaining about unemployment in the country.
Similarly, the National President, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Alogba, said Junaid was certainly saying the obvious when he said that the country would need N1.3 million teachers in the next few years. Alogba said there is a shortfall in the number of teachers in the primary and secondary schools in the country. He said the development has opened doors of employment for prospective and practising teachers, advising Nigerians to give it the desired attention.
He said that some states are complying with the National Teachers Policy directives that more teachers be employed to improve the quality of education, while others are not. This, he said, has reduced the population of teachers in the country.
The NUT’s President said the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommended that a teacher should be attached to 25 students or a maximum of 26 students, noting many countries are yet to adopt the recommendation.
He said the recommendation was given to ensure that teachers attend to students well and improve their understanding.
According to him, the UNESCO’s proposals are meant to be implemented all over the world to provide qualitative education and further promote growth. He said Nigeria is one country that has not implemented the recommendation.
“Many of the states in Nigeria are complying with the UNESCO’s recommendation, while others refused to comply for obvious reason. The reason is finance because they do not want to spend much on education. They like cheap labour, and that is why they recruit few teachers. This has resulted in the overcrowding of classrooms. It is high time that all the states or employers of teachers accepted the UNESCO’s recommendation of a teacher to 25 students to improve the standards of education. With this, there would be more opportunities for people who want to come to teaching profession,” he said.
He advised people to use the opportunities that are opening in the teaching profession to reduce the rate of unemployment and encourage economic growth.
