UBEC reveals paucity of 277,537 teachers in basic education sector in Nigeria

The National Personnel Audit (NPA) conducted on public and private basic education schools in the country has revealed that Nigeria has a shortage of 277,537 teachers at the basic level, according to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

A statement issued by the commission’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Mr David Apeh, quoted the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, as saying that the NPA indicated that while 73 per cent of those teaching in public schools were qualified teachers, only 53 per cent of teachers in private schools were qualified to teach.

“Our hope is that with the current reforms being put in place where you attract the best candidates into the teaching profession and compensate them adequately, the narrative will change,” Bobboyi said.

The UBEC Executive Secretary, stated that it was essential for teachers to be trained professionally, hence the need to prioritise quality of teaching.

He hinted that one of the major challenges is getting qualified teachers to teach the children in the country, stressing that the Federal Ministry of Education has been trying to address these challenges.

According to him, in recognition of the importance of teachers in the provision of quality education, the commission had designated 10 per cent of the entire amount it received from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to Teacher Professional Development, through the States’ Universal Basic Education boards.

Commenting on instructional materials, Bobboyi disclosed that because achieving quality education was dependent on the quality of resources, UBEC voted 15 per cent of the entire amount received from the Consolidated Revenue Fund annually for the purchase of instructional materials for distribution to schools.

The UBEC boss pointed out that the expectation  for state governments to complement the effort by acquiring textbooks for their schools, especially textbooks in key subjects.

The commission had been working on a plan, he said, that would ensure that children left on their own or whose parents were unable to fund their education, in addition to those with special needs, are accommodated in the public school system.