The Director-General of the National Teachers Institute (NTI), Professor Garba Maitafsir, has raised alarm over the alarming decline in the quality of education in Nigeria. He revealed a shocking incident where a PhD student under his tutelage could not properly write his own name.
“This is a sad reality we are facing,” Professor Maitafsir said at a one-day workshop in Kaduna. “I once came across a PhD student who could not even write his name properly. If this is the situation at the highest level of education, we must ask ourselves what is happening at the lower levels.”
Maitafsir blamed the quality of teaching as the root cause of the nation’s educational crisis, stressing that the problem is not a failure of the system itself but a failure in the quality of educators.
“We must address the quality of teachers if we want to fix the educational system in Nigeria. The problem lies with the educators,” he added. “We cannot expect to have a sound education system when those responsible for teaching are not properly trained and qualified.”
His comments come amid growing concerns about the state of education in Nigeria, where falling literacy rates and poorly trained teachers continue to impact students across the country. The NTI boss emphasized the importance of ensuring that teachers are well-equipped to meet the demands of modern education.
The workshop, titled Teachers Issues in Conflict and Protracted Crisis Settings: Documenting the Effectiveness of the Kaduna Teacher Reforms, also highlighted the reforms taking place in Kaduna State to address these issues.
Adamu Makadi, Chairman of the Teachers Service Board (TSB) in Kaduna State, also weighed in on the issue. He explained that before recent education reforms in the state, there was no significant problem with the education system itself but rather with the quality of the teachers.
“The system itself was not the issue; it was the teachers,” Makadi said. “So, the Kaduna State Government took bold steps to reform the education sector. We focused on improving recruitment, deployment, and retention of teachers.”
Kaduna State’s education reforms have involved the digitalization of the teacher recruitment process, making it more transparent and merit-based. According to Makadi, advertisements for teacher positions are now open to all qualified candidates, ensuring that only the best are selected.
“We have digitalized the recruitment process, making it open and accessible. This has allowed us to recruit teachers based on their qualifications and competencies,” he said. “We also ensure that teachers are deployed to schools close to their homes to reduce absenteeism and improve effectiveness.”
The Kaduna State Government, under the leadership of Governor Senator Uba Sani, has also introduced incentives to retain competent teachers. Makadi revealed that teachers in the state now earn approximately 27% more than their counterparts in other civil service sectors, a move aimed at making the profession more attractive and ensuring that qualified educators remain in the state.
“This incentive is crucial for ensuring that we retain our best teachers,” he explained. “Teachers in Kaduna earn more than their counterparts in other state ministries and departments. This is one of the many efforts to attract and keep quality educators.”
The workshop also featured contributions from Professor Oladele Akogun, a University Don and Regional Research Director at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Nigeria and South Sudan. Akogun stressed that teachers should be treated as the most important professionals in the country, even more so than medical doctors.
“We cannot expect to achieve a quality education system unless we give teachers the respect and support they deserve,” Akogun stated. “Teachers should be seen as the most important part of our educational system. They should be valued and compensated better than doctors if we truly want to improve education in Nigeria.”
The call for better treatment and compensation for teachers is gaining momentum as the country continues to grapple with a decline in education standards. With a growing population and increasing demand for quality education, the role of teachers has never been more critical.
