From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), yesterday, decried the acute shortage of qualified teachers in the basic education system, saying it portends dangers to the foundational literacy of Nigerian children.
The Commission specifically said 694,078 were needed for effective and efficient teaching and learning in public primary school system in Nigeria, but sadly, data from the 2022 Personnel Audit indicated that 194,876 teachers are currently in the basic education system rendering the educational services, closing the wide manpower gap in the teaching work.
Deputy UBEC Executive Secretary, Prof. Bala Zakari (Technical), at a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Effective Schools Programme (ESP) in Abuja, yesterday, said the manpower gap was wide, and evident in the quality of services at the public primary schools.
He said: “There is an acute shortage of qualified teachers in public primary schools. Out of the 694,078 teachers required at this level, only 499,202 are available, thus leaving a gap of 194,876,” he said.
Prof. Zakari advocated for a review of the 2004 UBE Act to address the identified issues, and urged the state governments to allocate more resources to education. He also encouraged the CSOs to increase advocacy efforts to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to education.
UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary (Service), Prof. Isiaka Kolawole, who represented the Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, emphasised that the ESP aims to offer extensive access to basic education for Nigerians.
He was unhappy that despite significant efforts and investments by various stakeholders, including the government, corporate entities, and private individuals, substantial improvements are still needed in the education sector.
“Undoubtedly, much has been invested, and great efforts made by the government, corporate and private institutions, as well as privileged individuals. However, despite the various interventions by the UBEC, much more still needs to be done towards improving basic education in the country.
“Key issues include a large number of out-of-school children, insufficient teaching and learning infrastructure, outdated UBE enabling Act, gaps in teacher quality and availability, low partnerships for UBE delivery, insecurity, and lack of awareness about the importance of education in rural and underserved communities,” he said.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Director of Social Mobilisation at UBEC, Dr. Ossom Ossom, stated that the event was organised to foster robust interactions and idea-sharing between the Commission and the CSOs, with the goal of enhancing basic education delivery.
“This is part of the ongoing discussions between the UBEC and its partners on basic education delivery, to enable us to interact and share experiences,” he said.