NUT urges Tinubu to prioritise teachers’ welfare, saying Nigeria must value educators to attract top talent and transform education for the next generation
If the teacher is not sound, who then will produce the doctor? asked Comrade Audu Amba, National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, as he called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritise teachers’ welfare and elevate the profession’s standing in society.
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He argued that until teaching is seen as a first-choice profession, Nigeria’s educational foundation will remain weak.
Speaking in Abuja, Amba lamented the poor perception of teaching in Nigeria, describing it as a “Hobson’s choice”—the last resort for students who fall short of the requirements for more prestigious courses.
Amba said the government must enact deliberate reforms that place teaching alongside medicine, law, and engineering in public esteem.
He criticised the current system that funnels underperforming students into education courses, citing it as a major reason the profession lacks passionate entrants.
“In today’s system, a candidate needs to score over 300 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination to study medicine, but there’s no such standard for education,” he said.
The students who want to become doctors—who taught them in the first place? It was the teacher.
He noted that in successful countries like Finland, the teaching profession is among the most respected, with high salaries, job security, and autonomy making it one of the most competitive fields.
There, the best minds are drawn to education—not out of desperation, but prestige and purpose.
“In Finland, people are proud to be teachers. It’s not only well-paid, but it’s also intellectually demanding,” he said.
“In Nigeria, the opposite is true. Children no longer dream of becoming teachers because they see the profession as undervalued and underpaid.”
Amba stressed that without strong teachers, no nation can build a sound workforce, regardless of investments in infrastructure or policy.
He urged the government to emulate countries that have successfully reversed this trend by implementing policies that elevate teachers’ status and ensure they become role models for future generations.
“It’s time to shift the national psyche. We must make teaching attractive, honourable, and rewarding,” he said.
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Until that happens, Amba warned, Nigeria’s brightest students will continue to shun education degrees, and the country will struggle to produce world-class professionals in all fields.