Umuahia (Nigeria): Nigeria needs 1.2 million teachers to address its teacher deficit crisis, Hajia Rabiu Adamu, Chairperson of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Education, Ofeme Ohuhu, Abia, has said.
Adamu made this statement on Friday during the matriculation of the Pioneer students of the National Certificate of Education (NCE), held at the college premises.
She said a school should have a ratio of one teacher to 25 students, but regretted that in Nigeria’s case, some schools operate a ratio of one teacher to 300 students.
“The biggest crisis in Nigeria is the teacher crisis, where we have a gap of about 1.2 million teachers.
“We need 1.2 million teachers minimum for Nigerian classes to be adequately provided for.” She said.
She therefore urged the matriculating students to focus on their studies and consider a career in the teaching profession to meet the teacher-student requirements, if they wanted a better future for Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Provost of the College, Dr Titus Ezeme, said the institution’s first matriculation, which was established on May 28, 2023, marked a new dawn in Abia’s educational landscape.
He said that the visit of the Resource Verification Team from the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in December 2024 provided the school with the proper foundation to build upon.
He said the team approved six academic schools and 29 academic programmes for the college, which ensured that the school was not an experiment but fully accredited for teacher training.
Ezeme said the academic journey of 150 pioneer matriculating students, which began with complete academic activities on June 24, rests on a firm foundation.
Ezeme appreciated Dr Michael Igwe and Dr Chris Nwosu, both medical practitioners in the United States of America, for awarding scholarships to 30 and 20 students, respectively.
He also thanked Mr Anderson Akaliro, representing Umuahia North at the Abia House of Assembly, and Chief Godwin Anyaogu, both sons of Ofeme, for sponsoring ten students each.
He further thanked the Federal Ministry of Education for awarding the construction of a 74–room female hostel at the school to ease accommodation problems.
Ezeme called for the intervention of philanthropists to meet some of their needs, such as a multipurpose hall, hostels, perimeter fences, and operational vehicles, among others.
A politician and student, Chief Chinedu Obilor, also known as Fayose, who was among the matriculants, said he had always nursed the ambition of pursuing higher education but was delayed by family responsibilities.
He said he was happy to have returned to school after many years of being discouraged by the collapse of their school building in Port Harcourt, which had led him to opt for a trade.
Obilor said that now that he had gained admission, he wouldn’t allow any distractions, promising to study hard to earn a doctorate.
The institution matriculated 153 students across six academic Schools and 29 academic programmes.
According to data obtained from the Universal Basic Education, only 915,913 teachers are available for no fewer than 31,771,916 learners in public and private primary schools nationwide.