As the September 20 National Teachers’ Conference draws closer, education stakeholders are warning that Nigeria’s failure to prioritise teacher welfare, training, and retention is deepening the crisis in the nation’s school system.
Experts say that despite numerous reforms and policy initiatives, undervaluing teachers and neglecting investment in their professional growth remains a major obstacle to improving learning outcomes and national development. “For schools to grow, teachers must grow”
Seyi Anifowose, convener of the 2025 School Growth Forum and the Let There Be Teachers Conference, stressed the urgent need for school owners, government agencies, and private investors to channel more resources into teacher development.
“Teachers are the backbone of progress, yet they struggle daily with poor pay, attrition, and lack of recognition,” Anifowose said. “For schools to grow, teachers must grow. For schools to stand out, teachers must stand tall.”
He lamented that private schools often spend heavily on training staff, only to lose them without notice, leaving classrooms disrupted. “Teachers resigning mid-term and treating classrooms as mere obligations is one of the toughest challenges we face,” he added.
Nigeria has over 1.5 million teachers, but attrition rates remain high. UNESCO estimates the country needs 250,000 new teachers annually to meet enrolment demands, yet many young graduates avoid the profession due to poor pay and low status.
Anifowose urged teachers to rediscover dignity and pride in their work. “There must be urgency in their purpose,” he said.
The upcoming conference, billed for September 20 at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, is expected to draw 60,000 teachers and stakeholders from across the country. Organisers say the event will serve as a platform to reposition the teaching profession.
“This is about reminding teachers that they are nation-builders, not just employees,” said Hakeem Subair, CEO of One Million Teachers, a Canadian-Nigerian initiative.
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Rotimi Eyitayo, a business consultant, added that school growth requires innovation, not routine. “By doing the same thing over and over, schools have mastered compliance but not transformation,” he said, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as proof of the need to embrace disruption. “If a school is not growing, it is dying.”
Stakeholders are pushing for sustained reforms beyond one-off events. Luyi Armstrong, secretary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos chapter, called for annual commitments to teacher empowerment.
“Teachers should not see themselves as mere workers, but as added-value personalities who shape the economy,” he said.
For education advocate Roda Odibo, the upcoming rally is an opportunity to amplify teachers’ voices. “Every day, children go to school; their future depends on teachers. Without the classroom, there is no national development,” she said.
She emphasised that teacher investment is a national imperative: “When teachers rise, schools grow. And when schools grow, the nation prospers.”
