By Deborah Tolu-kolawelo
Nigeria’s public education system is facing a major teacher-capacity crisis, with 31,827,244 learners relying on 592,077 teachers, resulting in a national learner-teacher ratio of 53.8 to one, according to data from the Ministry of Education’s Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System obtained on Monday.
The figures mean that, on average, one teacher is serving nearly 54 learners in Nigeria’s public schools, while in some states, the pressure is substantially higher, with the learner-teacher ratio rising to 88 learners to one teacher in Kano and 87.4 to one in Katsina.
The data, contained in the ministry’s Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System, provides one of the clearest pictures of the human-resource pressure confronting public schools as the Federal Government pursues reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes and addressing Nigeria’s education crisis.
The census recorded 108,016 public schools, but only 84,177 schools submitted data, representing a 77.9 per cent reporting rate.
The scale of the challenge becomes more apparent when the number of teachers is compared with the physical infrastructure available to learners.
The 592,077 teachers are responsible for learners using 394,836 classrooms, producing a national learner-classroom ratio of 60.1 to one.
The census also recorded a learner-to-school ratio of 296.2, meaning that the average public school caters for nearly 300 learners.
Kano, Katsina, Imo worst-hit
The state-level figures show that teacher pressure is particularly acute in several states with large learner populations.
Kano State, which recorded the highest number of learners in the data, had 5,226,239 learners and a learner-teacher ratio of 88:1.
It also recorded a learner-classroom ratio of 91.7:1, meaning that both teachers and classrooms are under intense pressure.
Kano was followed by Katsina, which recorded 1,920,270 learners and a learner-teacher ratio of 87.4:1. Its learner-classroom ratio was even higher at 107:1.
Imo State recorded 1,243,543 learners, but had a learner-teacher ratio of 82.2:1, alongside a learner-classroom ratio of 75.7:1.
Other states with ratios above 60 learners per teacher included Jigawa, 72.8:1; Kaduna, 72.7:1; Abia, 72:1; Bauchi, 69.7:1; Kebbi, 63.5:1; and Borno, 59.8:1.
Jigawa had 1,567,300 learners, Kaduna 2,418,712, Abia 707,382, Bauchi 1,535,858, Kebbi 956,163, and Borno 954,160.
The figures suggest that the problem is not simply one of overall teacher numbers but also how teachers are distributed in relation to learner populations and classroom demand.
Lower ratios states
In contrast, a number of states recorded considerably lower learner-teacher ratios.
Cross River had the lowest ratio in the supplied data at 13.6 learners per teacher, although its reported learner population was only 8,168.
It was followed by Enugu at 17.1:1, with 364,227 learners, and Ekiti at 18.4:1, with 286,517 learners.
Other relatively low ratios were recorded in Bayelsa, 25.2:1; Anambra, 23.9:1; Delta, 23.2:1; Akwa Ibom, 31.5:1; Benue, 30.5:1; Ebonyi, 32.2:1; Gombe, 37.6:1; and the Federal Capital Territory, 18.7:1.
The disparity is also visible in classroom availability. While Enugu recorded a learner-classroom ratio of 25.2, Anambra had 22.5, Benue 22.9, Bayelsa 24.2, Delta 20.7, and Akwa Ibom 47.7.
At the other end, Katsina’s 107 learners per classroom, Kano’s 91.7, Borno’s 84.7, Jigawa’s 77.6, Imo’s 75.7, and Abia’s 74.4 illustrate the extent of overcrowding in some public-school systems.
NUT warning
The latest government data comes amid repeated warnings by the Nigeria Union of Teachers over a shortage of qualified teachers.
The NUT said a Universal Basic Education Commission survey had identified a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools across Nigeria.
The union warned that field reports showed an “alarming manpower crisis,” with some primary schools barely manned by one or two teachers, leaving pupils vulnerable to poor learning outcomes.
The NUT position is significant because its 194,876 figure relates specifically to public primary-school teacher requirements, while the Federal Ministry’s 592,077 figure covers the broader public-school teaching workforce represented in the census.
The two figures, therefore, should not be directly subtracted from each other.
NUT President, Audu Amba, subsequently reiterated the concern, saying, “It is alarming that Nigeria has a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools across the country.”
Amba also warned that the manpower crisis had serious implications for the quality of education and learning outcomes, while calling on governments to employ the “right number and quality” of teachers.
The union has attributed part of the difficulty in attracting and retaining teachers to welfare and remuneration.
Female teacher dominance
Beyond the teacher numbers, the DNEMIS data showed that female learners accounted for 49.4 per cent of public-school enrolment, while women made up 50.9 per cent of teachers.
This means the gender composition of teachers is relatively balanced nationally, although the state figures reveal considerable differences.
For example, female teachers accounted for 87.9 per cent in Abia, 87.8 per cent in Anambra, 87.4 per cent in Imo, 77.6 per cent in Enugu, 77.2 per cent in Delta, and 70.9 per cent in Ekiti.
But female teacher representation was much lower in Jigawa at 19.4 per cent, Kebbi at 30.4 per cent, Katsina at 31.5 per cent, Kano at 33 per cent, Bauchi at 32.2 per cent, and Adamawa at 38.5 per cent.
Female learner participation was also below 50 per cent in several states, including Kebbi at 42.3 per cent, Edo at 36.4 per cent, Borno at 49.4 per cent, Bauchi at 48.1 per cent, Adamawa at 49.2 per cent and Katsina at 49.1 per cent.
Special learners struggle
The data further recorded special-needs learners across the states, highlighting another dimension of the teacher-capacity challenge.
Kano recorded the highest number among the states shown, with 33,168 special-needs learners, followed by Katsina with 21,133, Jigawa with 16,567, Kaduna with 16,002, Bauchi with 15,635, and Adamawa with 10,295.
Kebbi recorded 9,587, Gombe 7,685, Imo 6,748, Borno 4,674, Edo 4,334, Abia 3,834, Ekiti 3,396, Ebonyi 3,389, the FCT 3,504, Akwa Ibom 2,365, Anambra 1,919, Enugu 1,760, Delta 1,298, Benue 1,115, Bayelsa 263, and Cross River 61.
The figures are particularly important because special-needs learners often require additional instructional support, specialised teaching approaches and, in some cases, dedicated personnel.
Public schools overburdened
The data also showed the enormous responsibility placed on the public education system.
Of the 40,125,105 learners represented in the ownership breakdown, 31,827,244, or 79 per cent, were in public schools, while 8,297,861 were in private schools.
Yet public schools accounted for 108,016 schools, compared with 107,017 private schools.
In other words, the public system had roughly the same number of schools as the private sector but carried almost four times the number of learners.
This places the question of teacher recruitment and deployment at the centre of efforts to improve Nigeria’s education system.
The ministry’s figures show that the challenge is particularly severe where high learner populations coincide with high learner-teacher and learner-classroom ratios.
For example, Kano’s 5.23 million learners are being served at an 88:1 learner-teacher ratio, while Katsina’s 1.92 million learners face an 87.4:1 ratio. The contrast with Enugu’s 17.1:1 and Ekiti’s 18.4:1 demonstrates the huge differences in teacher availability across the country.
With Nigeria seeking to improve foundational learning, reduce learning poverty and expand access to quality education, the census figures suggest that recruiting more teachers alone may not be enough; equitable deployment of teachers to where learner populations are highest will also be critical.
