Although it is not possible to learn without a teacher, the attitude of many Nigerians towards education courses in higher education institutions seems to give the impression that there is no need teachers.

This unfortunate situation is not confined to young people seeking higher education, but to some parents and guardians who oppose their wards and children who wish to attend education classes.

Meanwhile, many admissions seekers are wasting a lot of time taking courses they might not be admitted to, while admission spaces for education courses remain wasted. For example, in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Enrollment Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admission and Enrollment Board, JAMB, and the subsequent admission of students to higher education institutions across the country, Hundreds of thousands of admission places have not been filled in education-related courses and schools. According to a document from the Council’s recent policy meeting, education faculties in Nigerian universities had the second highest admission quota of 111,601 after science faculties.

However, only 95,317 candidates applied to the faculties and 80,857 were admitted. Those admitted represented over 80 percent of applicants and this was the highest admission rate.

For education colleges nationwide (state, private and federal), 235,240 admission places were available in 2020, but due to the low number of college admissions applicants, only 47,920 places were filled. , leaving a huge gap of 187,320 vacant admission spaces.

Causes and solutions

At the 2019 Faculty of Education Annual Conference at Lagos State University, LASU, former Minister of Education Ms. Ruquayyat Ahmed Rufai blamed this development on the misperception of the education by society.

“When society views education and teaching as a dumb or unsuccessful profession, what do you expect? However, we must take action to redress the situation. Don’t let education classes be rejected. “Teacher training should be a top priority and special scholarships should also be provided. We must also pay special attention to the training of female teachers. The period of teaching practice should also be extended to one year, ”she suggested among others.

The Registrar of the Teachers Enrollment Council of Nigeria, TRCN, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, also insisted on teacher welfare and the professionalization of teaching.

“We appreciate the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari is not playing with the welfare of teachers and that we have seen in the welfare programs he has announced for them. When teachers are well paid and they have a career progression that can take them to the top, they perform their duties effectively.

“Also at TRCN, we will not allow charlatans to have a break. Our professional qualification exams, PQE, are meant to certify, empower and develop our teachers to meet global standards and we are already seeing the results. Teaching is a noble profession and those who see it otherwise are wrong, “he said.