…as the September 20 National Teachers’ Conference build-up intensifies
Experts have warned that without prioritising teacher welfare, training, and retention, Nigeria risks deepening the crisis in its education sector, with long-term consequences for learning outcomes and national growth.
Education stakeholders emphasised that despite various educational reforms and policy efforts, Nigeria’s school system will continue to struggle due to the persistent undervaluing of teachers and inadequate investment in their development.
Seyi Anifowose, the convener of the 2025 School Growth Forum and Let There Be Teachers Conference, emphasised the need for school owners, government agencies, and investors to commit more resources to teacher development.
Anifowose warned that schools cannot grow unless teachers are valued, trained, and retained. Besides, he reiterated that weak investment and poor respect for the profession are stifling the nation’s future.
He decried the fact that teachers, who are the backbone of national progress, are faced with daily struggles of low pay, attrition, and lack of recognition.
“We see you, we hear you, and we understand the struggles you face every single day.
“For schools to grow, teachers must grow. For schools to stand out, teachers must stand tall,” he said.
Read also: Nigeria’s curriculum reform needs teachers at its heart
A profession under strain
Anifowose expressed concerns that Nigeria, with more than 1.5 million teachers, is faced with high attrition rates, with many teachers resigning mid-term, leaving classrooms disrupted.
Buttressing his worries, he revealed that private school owners spend heavily on training staff, only for them to quit without notice.
“Teachers resigning without dignity, treating classrooms as mere obligations, is one of the toughest challenges we face,” Anifowose noted.
He urged teachers to rediscover “dignity in their identity, pride in their profession, and urgency in their purpose.
According to UNESCO, Nigeria needs to recruit 250,000 new teachers annually to meet rising enrolment demands, yet many young graduates avoid the profession due to poor pay and status.
Calls for transformation
The forum brought together school leaders, private school associations, investors, and reform advocates as a build-up to the National Teachers’ Conference, scheduled for September 20, where 60,000 teachers are expected at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
Hakeem Subair, the chief executive officer of One Million Teachers, a Canadian-Nigerian initiative, said the conference is about repositioning the teaching profession in Nigeria.
“This is about repositioning the profession. Beyond numbers, it is about reminding teachers they are nation builders, not just employees,” Subair said.
Rotimi Eyitayo, a business consultant, stressed that growth in schools requires intentional innovations.
By doing the same thing over and over again, the characteristics of a school session deliver everything but “interruption”, making the system masters of compliance,” he said.
Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, he said schools must embrace disruption and rethink obsolete practices.
“If a school is not growing, it is dying,” he said.
Stakeholders demand yearly action
Luyi Armstrong, the secretary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos State chapter, called for an annual commitment.
“Teachers should not see themselves as mere workers, but as added-value personalities who shape the economy,” he said.
Roda Odibo, an education advocate, however, urged the government to prioritise teacher investment.
“Every day, children go to school; their future depends on teachers. Without the classroom, there is no national development,” she said.
She described the September 20 rally as a chance to raise teachers’ voices to say that teachers matter, are valued, and that the country must invest in them.
“As Anifowose noted, when teachers rise, schools grow, and when schools grow, the nation prospers,” Odibo emphasised.
