Exclusive: Concerns for Nigeria’s education sector as teaching loses Its appeal to youths

Exclusive: Concerns for Nigeria’s education sector as teaching loses Its appeal to youths

By Joy Jimoh, Abuja

The teaching profession, once regarded as one of the most honorable professions in Nigeria, is now facing a growing wave of disinterest among young Nigerians, who see it as a route to abject poverty.

Fewer Nigerians are considering a career in education, driven by a combination of economic challenges, societal shifts, and the increasing appeal of more lucrative fields.

Educationists say this trend is not just a concern for aspiring educators; it’s a potential crisis for the nation’s education system. As the number of new teachers dwindles, the long-term consequences could be severe, impacting the quality of education and the future of the country.

Data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) shows that in 2020, 95,317 candidates applied to study education-related courses. By 2021, this number had plummeted by nearly 44% to 53,612. While 2023 saw an increase to 114,751 candidates, the trend reversed again in 2024, with applications dropping by 36% to 73,346.

With the data showing a 23% decrease since 2020 and a 36% decline between 2023 and 2024, findings from BusinessDay indicate that this decline is caused by various factors, including low pay, lack of respect for teachers, and the attraction of better-paying jobs.

JAMB’s data also showed a decline in the number of students admitted to education-related courses at three-year intervals. In 2017, 84,201 students were admitted to study education-related courses, which decreased by 3.96% to 80,857 in 2020. By 2023, admissions fell further by another 6.08% to 75,937.

Recent disclosures from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) also showed that over 30% of Nigeria’s teaching workforce left the service within the past three years.

Hamid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, described the situation as frightening. He stated that some teachers retired while others left the service in search of greener pastures without being replaced.

Bobboyi said, “Nationwide, in the last three years, particularly beginning with COVID-19, we have lost over 30% of our teaching workforce. And it is very frightening. Many of them retired, while some left the service without being replaced.”

Checks also revealed that many have joined the profession due to a lack of desirable employment in other fields.

Educationists suggest this not only dilutes the quality of educators but also exacerbates the problem, as the teaching profession becomes a fallback option rather than a career of choice.

***Why Teaching No Longer Appeals to Many

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of CISLAC, argued that the devaluation of education in Nigeria has led to teaching being associated with poverty and low status, causing qualified individuals to leave the profession and unqualified individuals to enter as a last resort.

“They have made education and teaching in Nigeria associated with poverty and undignified status. There is no motivation, and as a result, we are not having the kind of knowledge and skills required for people who are supposed to be educated.

“Until we are able to dignify teaching, people will continue to run away from it. And of course, we need teachers because the foundation of the nation is education, and education is about quality teaching and skills. If we don’t have that, it will be difficult to make the necessary progress.

“In other parts of the world, teachers are actually leading in science, technology, and even providing political and economic policy frameworks for governance. In Nigeria, however, they have been marginalized and disempowered.

“In a situation where a professor with 30 years of experience earns less than 600,000, while someone with a school certificate, simply because he’s a politician, earns millions, there is a disempowerment of teaching and its incentives in Nigeria.”

Janet Nyalla, an Abuja-based teacher, believes that low salaries, lack of prestige, and societal misconceptions contribute to the decline of interest in teaching among young Nigerians, emphasizing the need to reshape the profession’s image to attract new talent.

“Nobody wants to do a job that won’t allow them to meet their basic needs. The pay gap between teaching and sectors like medicine and banking is evident.

“There’s also a lack of prestige associated with the teaching profession, and the stigma contrasts sharply with how other professions are perceived.

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“It’s almost like we need to be something else before we can be considered people of influence. Nobody just wakes up one morning and says, ‘I want to become a teacher when I grow up.’

“If we continue to see teaching as a less desirable profession, we will keep getting the same results. We need to start presenting teaching as a noble and essential profession.”

Chiamaka Obi, a graduate of Physics Education from the University of Abuja who is now an events planner, echoed these sentiments.

She pointed out the limited financial rewards of teaching as a major reason for her career choice, despite her major in education. She highlighted the demanding nature of the profession and its limited financial rewards.

“In university, if someone told me they were studying education, I automatically viewed their chosen profession as inferior, even though I was studying the same thing.

“I didn’t go into teaching after school because I can’t deal with the various needs of students; I simply don’t have the patience, and it’s less lucrative compared to the workload.”

***The Ripple Effect on Nigeria’s Education System

The diminishing interest in teaching among younger Nigerians, coupled with the influx of low-quality teachers entering the profession, poses a significant threat to the integrity of the nation’s educational framework.

Educators imply that the declining interest in teaching as a profession is not only affecting individuals but also has broader implications for Nigeria’s education system.

As fewer young people choose to enter the teaching profession, the country faces potential challenges in maintaining the quality and accessibility of education for future generations.

Rafsanjani notes this results in a decline in the quality of education, producing uneducated individuals and stunting innovation and progress in critical fields like science and technology.

“The consequence is the quality of education and responsible education, and the evidence in Nigeria is what we are seeing now.

“We are producing uneducated people from the schools, and that affects innovation in terms of science, technology, and other areas that are supposed to make a nation proud.”

Janet Nyalla argues that low-quality teachers negatively impact student outcomes and the attractiveness of the profession, ultimately affecting societal standards and producing poorly trained graduates who cannot compete globally.

“We think the trend is not dangerous, but it is very, very dangerous. Just as in the medical field, we have codes of conduct that are supposed to guide professionals; similarly, in the educational sector, there are standards teachers are supposed to uphold.

“But because teachers do not adhere to these standards, it affects the quality of the individuals they produce.

“If the whole system looks shabby, nobody wants to go there. But if you sit close to professional teachers, you’d want to be like them because they conduct themselves professionally.

“They know what they are supposed to do, how to dress, and how to behave. This makes the profession attractive, but low-quality teachers have the opposite effect.

“The entire society becomes a recipient of this decline. If we continue to have low-quality teachers, the impact is felt across all fields and professions. Everyone suffers from the lack of properly trained individuals.”

***What Are Stakeholders Doing to Reverse the Trend

Stakeholders are increasingly advocating for a comprehensive overhaul to address the root causes of disinterest in teaching.

Many believe that without significant changes, the future of the profession and the quality of education will remain jeopardized.

As part of this push for reform, experts emphasize the importance of improving teacher remuneration and societal perception of the profession to attract and retain qualified educators.

Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, the former acting president of the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, stated in an exclusive interview that the Nigerian education sector needs a complete overhaul. He called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the sector.

Onwualu stressed that Nigeria needs to retrace its steps to understand why the youth do not take pride in teaching; only then can the problem be solved.

He compared the salaries of teachers in other countries to those in Nigeria and noted that the average salary of a teacher in Nigeria is poor.

“Teachers are respected everywhere. In some countries, like Finland, teachers are well-paid and respected, so people aspire to be teachers. In some countries, the highest-paid profession is teaching. So, for me, it’s about earning power,” he said.

The professor stressed that the government must review teachers’ remuneration so that the profession can become more attractive.