The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has expressed concern over the welfare conditions of teachers, particularly in private schools, warning that poor remuneration is undermining efforts to improve educational standards and learning outcomes across the country.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Annual Summit of the Conference for Private School Associations in Lagos, themed “Transformation of Education in Lagos State,” Registrar of the TRCN, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, said improving teachers’ welfare must become a priority if Nigeria is to achieve meaningful progress in the education sector.
Dr. Soyombo illustrated the challenge by recounting the experience of an award-winning private school teacher whose financial circumstances compelled him to sell a vehicle he received as a reward for excellence.
“I remember when Governor Dapo Abiodun and I were going to present a car to the best teacher. He was from a private school. He got a car.
“A week later, I saw him walking on the road and asked what happened to the car. He said he had sold it. When I asked why, he said he was being paid ₦20,000 monthly,” she said.
According to Soyombo, remuneration has a direct impact on teacher motivation, productivity, and retention.
“If we want good service, we have to pay teachers well. For us to get quality service from good teachers and stop them from looking left, right and centre, they also want to send their children to good schools, so let’s pay teachers good money,” she said.
The registrar noted that many school proprietors remain reluctant to invest heavily in teacher development because of concerns that trained educators may leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
“Proprietors are scared and worried that if we improve the standard of our teachers, would they stay or go to other schools? We have to look at the conditions of service and make teachers the cornerstone of a quality educational system,” she stated.
Soyombo maintained that efforts to reform the education sector would yield limited results if the welfare and professional needs of teachers are ignored.
“Teachers remain the cornerstone of quality education systems. A lot of people try to improve education while ignoring the teachers from the outset,” she said.
She disclosed that the council is strengthening regulatory oversight, continuous professional development programmes, safeguarding mechanisms, and digital support systems for teachers.
According to Soyombo, these initiatives include the introduction of a mobile application and a toll-free reporting line to enable the public and stakeholders to report professional misconduct and other concerns.
Education stakeholders at the summit agreed that improving teacher welfare, strengthening professional development opportunities, and creating more attractive career pathways are critical to raising educational standards and ensuring long-term improvements in student outcomes.
