‘Nigeria needs 15 million educators for effective teaching’

The Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, has decried the shortage of teachers globally, saying Nigeria, for instance, requires about 15 million educators for effective teaching.

According to him, there is a shortage of about 45 million teachers globally, with Africa experiencing severe deficit. Ajiboye, who spoke at the sixth convocation ceremony of Corona College of Education, Ilupeju, enjoined Nigerian teachers to see themselves as global professionals and become acquainted with technology to progress in the global market.

He said: “Today, we have teachers’ mobility. They move across the world. In the last two years, the United Kingdom has recruited about 2,000 Nigerian teachers, while in 2022, Canada recruited about 600. This showed that teachers mobility is high now. It is not just doctors moving abroad, teachers are also moving out in large numbers.” He enjoined teachers not to limit themselves, but be prepared for the global market.

Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Chijioke Okwelle, hinted that for the 2024/2025 academic session, qualified federal colleges of education have been approved to run specialised degree programmes, which would not be inferior in terms of certification to those of universities.

The convocation lecturer, Prof. Chinedum Babalola, emphasised private tertiary institutions’ commitment to raising the standard of education with the use of technology despite limited funds.

Babalola, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Ogun State, also appealed to the government and stakeholders to promote quality education, provide quality educators, and practice quality education.