Nigeria needs 273,000 teachers to achieve pupil-teacher ratio – FG

Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Education has disclosed that the 20,000 public secondary schools accross the country require 273,000 technical teachers to achieve the aspiration of the ministry of one teacher to 20 pupil’s ratio.
This was revealed by the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, Prof Josiah Ajiboye in Abuja, while presenting two reports on the Technical Teacher Training Advisory Committee and the Inter-Ministerial Advisory Committee to the Permanent Secretary, Mr Sonny Echono.
The teacher training committee had been inaugurated by a former Minister of State for Education, Prof Anthony Anwukah, on April 4, 2019, while the second committee was set up by the Permanent Secretary on April 30.
The committees were aimed towards providing the necessary framework to empower youths through skills’ acquisition and capacity building for national economic development.
He said, “Findings indicate that there are over 20,000 public secondary schools which require over 273,000 technical teachers to achieve the aspiration of the ministry of one teacher to 20 pupils ratio.
According to Echono, the Federal Government would establish six new technical education colleges before the end of the year.
He said additional 10 technical colleges would be established within the next three years, noting that this would empower youths with the necessary skills to be self-reliant and employers of labour.
He said, “The present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari places emphasis on technical and vocational education and training, as this is the bedrock of the socio-economic growth of any nation.
“Apart from the technical colleges, the Federal Government will also establish more polytechnics, register monotechnics and vocational and other innovation enterprise institutions which will all equip youths with skills.”