Education
Honouring the Hands That Shape the Future: A Tribute to Teachers and the Legacy of Mrs Anna Chinenye Udunze
By Blaise Udunze
Every year on October 5, the world pauses to celebrate World Teachers’ Day, which is a day to honour the men and women whose quiet labour builds the foundations of every great society. They are the custodians of knowledge, the gardeners of potential, and the silent architects of transformation. Long before the first brick of any nation’s progress is laid, teachers have already done their work by nurturing minds, refining values, and lighting the path of purpose.
In every thriving society, progress rests on the shoulders of its teachers. They shape the minds that build nations, innovate solutions, and drive economies. Yet, in Nigeria, these same nation-builders have become the forgotten heroes of development, with a neglected sector battling shortages, poor welfare, and dwindling morale. The implications of this systemic neglect go far beyond the walls of our schools; it strikes at the heart of the nation’s social and economic well-being.
Across the country, classrooms overflow while teachers dwindle. From urban schools in Lagos to rural communities across the country, the teacher-to-student ratio grows alarmingly worse. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends one teacher for every 35 pupils, yet Nigeria’s classrooms often see a single teacher struggling to manage 80 to 100 children. Some states have not recruited new teachers in years, even as retirements and resignations thin the ranks.
This crisis is not just about numbers; it is about neglect. Many teachers go months without salaries. Promotions stagnate for years. Training opportunities are rare or nonexistent. In an age where education systems are evolving globally, Nigerian teachers remain under-equipped, underpaid, and undervalued.
Worse still, the nation is now losing many of its finest educators to the brain drain sweeping across critical sectors. In search of better welfare, security, and dignity, a growing number of Nigerian teachers are migrating to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. These are nations that understand the value of quality education and reward it accordingly. These countries are actively recruiting teachers from Africa, offering them decent pay, housing, and professional development opportunities that remain elusive back home.
The exodus is devastating. Every teacher who leaves represents not just a personal loss but also the erosion of institutional memory and mentorship for younger educators.
The result is a hollowing out of the education system, where classrooms are filled with children but starved of skilled instructors. If this trend continues unchecked, Nigeria may soon face a generational void, one where the brightest educators are abroad while those left behind struggle to do more with less.
The consequences are profound. The quality of education continues to decline as overcrowded and poorly resourced classrooms stifle both teachers and pupils. Literacy and numeracy rates fall, while dropout rates soar. Nigeria already bears the burden of having one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, over 10 million.
Beyond academics, the social fabric suffers. Education is not merely an academic exercise; it shapes civic values, tolerance, and productivity. When teachers are absent or ineffective, a generation grows without discipline, moral grounding, or employable skills. The result is evident in the rising wave of youth unemployment, crime, and moral decay. A society that fails to invest in teachers inevitably reaps a harvest of instability and ‘bundles of wahala.’
Economically, the neglect of teachers directly undermines growth. Nations like Japan, Finland, Singapore, and South Korea that thrive well did so by prioritizing education and elevating the teaching profession. In Nigeria, however, policymakers treat education as an afterthought, allocating N1.54 trillion, representing only 7.9 percent of the N19.54 trillion 2024 national budget, to the entire education sector. This figure falls far below the UNESCO-recommended benchmark of 15-20 percent, underscoring how little priority is given to building human capital.
Poorly educated citizens limit innovation and productivity, forcing industries to import expertise that local talent could have supplied if properly nurtured. The vicious cycle continues as poor education leads to weak human capital, which in turn hampers national competitiveness.
To reverse this decline, Nigeria must begin by restoring dignity to the teaching profession. Teachers deserve fair remuneration, timely payment, and continuous training. Recruitment must become a priority to fill the widening gap in public schools. States should adopt deliberate policies to attract bright young minds into teaching through incentives, scholarships, and professional development programs. Investment in digital teaching tools and curriculum reform is equally critical. A 21st-century nation cannot thrive on a 20th-century education model. Beyond policy, society must also renew its respect for teachers by celebrating them not only on World Teachers’ Day but every day, as the moral and intellectual engineers of our nation.
This year’s celebration holds a deeply personal resonance for me. It is a day to not only salute all teachers across the world but also to remember one whose life and service embodied the noblest ideals of the profession in the person of my late mother, Mrs. Anna Chinenye Udunze, a devoted and exemplary teacher who worked with the Lagos State Ministry of Education for 33 years.
For over three decades, she gave her heart and her strength to shaping young minds. Her students, many of whom are now professionals across Nigeria and beyond, remember her not only for her discipline and excellence but also for her compassion, her insistence on doing what is right, and her unwavering belief that education was the surest path to dignity and nation-building. To her, teaching was not just a job; it was a calling, and one she answered with grace, patience, and an undying sense of purpose.
Mrs. Udunze’s classroom was a place of transformation. She believed every child had a spark waiting to be discovered. She spent long hours preparing lessons, mentoring her pupils, and ensuring that even the least promising learner left her class with renewed confidence. Meanwhile, I was also once her student for a term of an academic year! Her legacy endures, not in monuments or titles, but in the countless lives she touched and the values she instilled.
Neglecting teachers is not merely an educational issue; it is a national emergency. When classrooms collapse, the future collapses with them. The strength of any nation lies in the quality of its teachers, for they shape every doctor, engineer, entrepreneur, and leader that society will ever know.
As we celebrate this year’s World Teachers’ Day, let us remember that teachers remain society’s moral compass and developmental backbone. They are the ones who keep the ideals of knowledge, integrity, and hard work alive in generations. Governments and communities owe them more than words of praise. We owe them the dignity, support, and recognition they so richly deserve.
Today, as the world celebrates its educators, I stand proud, proud of all teachers who remain steadfast in their mission and proud of a mother whose legacy continues to inspire. The life of Mrs. Anna Chinenye Udunze is a testament to the truth that while classrooms may be small, their influence stretches far beyond walls into the hearts of generations and the story of nations.
To all teachers, past and present, thank you. You are the hands that shape humanity, the voice that awakens dreams, and the light that no darkness can extinguish.
Blaise, a journalist and PR professional writes from Lagos, can be reached via: [email protected]
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For the next 10 years, a Nigerian non-profit organisation focused on public education reform, The Bunmi Adedayo Foundation (BAF), intends to train 10,000 additional teachers and 500 school leaders, reach at least 1 million more learners through accelerated foundational literacy and numeracy programmes, expand digital learning access to 25,000 teachers, embed education reforms into government policy, and amplify its national advocacy voice.
At an event held in Lagos to mark its 10th anniversary on May 6, the organisation noted that it hopes to raise more than N1 billion in diversified funding to sustain and scale operations.
At the landmark Education Futures Conference themed Building Nigeria’s Education Future: One Teacher, One School, One Child at a Time, BAF said it was impressed with the progress made so far.
BAF was established in January 2016 in honour of Oluwabunmi Omotayo Adedayo. Since its inception, it has reached more than 550,000 learners, empowered over 7,800 teachers and supported more than 1,300 public primary schools across Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Rivers states.
Its interventions span teacher capacity development, school infrastructure renovation, digital learning through ICT hubs, and direct pupil support through scholarships and learning materials.
At the conference, Executive Director Odedeyi Oluwakemi said, “What began as a response to a critical gap has evolved into a movement of measurable impact. The first 10 years have proven what is possible. The next 10 years will define what is transformational.”
The gathering last week convened educators, policymakers, development partners, and private-sector leaders to reflect on a decade of measurable impact and chart an ambitious course for the decade ahead.
It spotlighted Nigeria’s deepening education crisis. An estimated 10.5 million primary school-age children, representing 25 per cent of that population, are currently out of school, a figure that rises to more than 20 million when secondary school-age youth are included. Among Nigerian children aged 7 to 14, 73 per cent lack basic reading skills, while 75 per cent lack basic numeracy skills. Only 44 per cent of primary school teachers hold the required qualifications, while teacher absenteeism in public schools averages 24 per cent.
Chairman of the foundation’s Executive Council, Professor Oluwole Ayoola Atoyebi, commended the group’s decade of progress while acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead.
“Many children still lack access to quality foundational learning, and many educators require continuous support to deliver effectively,” he said. “Education is not merely a social good; it is a strategic investment in the future of our nation.”
BAF’s programmes are delivered through an integrated model combining teacher development, school infrastructure renovation and digital learning. The foundation’s train-the-trainer approach, implemented through initiatives such as the Continuous In-Service Training Programme (CISTPST) and the Subject Enhancement Programme (SEP-M), has enabled its impact to cascade across schools and communities. Its two ICT centres in Surulere and Ketu have equipped more than 11,000 students with hands-on digital learning skills.
The organisation’s school transformation projects, including the full renovation of Yaba Model Nursery & Primary School and Nathan Nursery & Primary School, have been made possible through partnerships with organisations including Tastee Fried Chicken, the Adepoju Foundation and Phoenix Global Foundation.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Candidates seeking to gain admission into Colleges of Education in Nigeria will no longer need to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
This information was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, during an annual admission policy meeting of JAMB in Abuja on Monday.
He revealed that the new policy would become effective in the 2026.2027 admission cycle, stating that it was to make tertiary education admission easier for would-be teachers in the country.
The Minister also said candidates seeking admission to agriculture programmes outside engineering disciplines would not be required to sit for UTME, though they must register with JAMB.
“Candidates seeking admission into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME,” he declared.
However, they are mandated to have at least four credit passes in relevant subjects in the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) conducted by either the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or the National Examinations Council (NECO), he stated.
Mr Alausa noted that after these academic credentials are screened, verified and certified, the admission letters would be issued through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), in line with existing regulations.
By Timi Olubiyi, PhD
The gap between what many universities teach and what the real world currently demands is widening daily, particularly in Nigeria. Truly, the university education system is gradually losing alignment with the realities of today’s expectations. While industries across the world are rapidly evolving through Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and digital transformation, many universities still operate with outdated curricula designed many decades ago and without strong connections to current economic realities. Across industries today, employers increasingly seek graduates with digital competence, problem-solving ability, adaptability, creativity, communication skills, and technological literacy. Unfortunately, many higher institutions still emphasise theoretical memorisation rather than practical competence and future readiness. This growing disconnect partly explains why graduate unemployment and unemployability remain serious national concerns despite thousands of graduates entering the labour market every year.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it is already transforming banking, healthcare, media, agriculture, education, law, manufacturing, logistics, finance, and public administration. More so, intelligent systems can now automate repetitive tasks, analyse large volumes of data, generate reports, support decision-making, and improve operational efficiency faster than humans in many instances. In fact, I was recently in a bank to request an ATM card and was attended to by a machine and the card was issued without human contact or need. This reality has profound implications for jobs, skills, productivity, and the future of higher education globally. Recently, the Managing Director of a company in Nigeria reportedly disclosed publicly that over 500 vacancies existed within the organisation, yet the company struggled to find suitably qualified Nigerians for the available roles. That statement may sound alarming, but it reflects a growing structural problem that should concern policymakers, universities, parents, and students alike. The issue is not a lack of intelligence or potential among Nigerian youths. Nigerian youths remain among the most resilient, innovative, and entrepreneurial globally. The real problem is that many educational institutions are still preparing students for yesterday’s economy instead of tomorrow’s economy.
Globally, universities are aggressively redesigning their curricula to align with emerging realities. New programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Automation, Renewable Energy Technology, Machine Learning, Biotechnology, and Digital Systems are rapidly expanding because nations understand that future economic competitiveness will depend heavily on technological capability, innovation, and human capital development. Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in this global transition. The National Universities Commission (NUC), policymakers, university administrators, and other stakeholders must urgently recognise the implications of AI on higher education and labour markets. Curriculum redesign should no longer be treated as a routine academic exercise but as an urgent national economic priority. One important conversation Nigeria must begin to have honestly is whether some university programmes in their current structures can remain economically competitive in the future. This conversation may be uncomfortable, but avoiding it will not solve the problem. The world is changing rapidly, and universities must evolve accordingly.
Traditional disciplines such as History, Philosophy, Sociology, and related fields remain important for national identity, ethics, critical thinking, and cultural preservation. However, these disciplines may require modernisation and stronger integration with digital and employability skills. For example, History students today should also be exposed to digital archiving, strategic communication, international relations, policy analysis, data interpretation, media intelligence, and AI-assisted research methods. The issue is not necessarily the existence of the discipline itself, but whether graduates possess transferable skills that remain valuable in a modern economy. Importantly, AI literacy should now become compulsory across all university disciplines regardless of specialisation. Whether a student studies medicine, law, accounting, engineering, agriculture, communication, philosophy, or education, a foundational understanding of AI systems, digital tools, cybersecurity awareness, technology ethics, and data analysis is increasingly becoming essential.
The future workplace will reward people who can effectively work with technology, not those who ignore it. AI literacy is gradually becoming as important as computer literacy was years ago. Universities must therefore prepare students to adapt, collaborate with intelligent systems, and solve emerging problems creatively. Another major issue is faculty development. Curriculum reform alone may achieve little if lecturers themselves are not adequately prepared for the realities of modern education. Many academic staff members require continuous learning, digital retraining, and professional development to effectively teach contemporary skills and emerging technologies. The reality is simple: lecturers can only effectively teach what they sufficiently understand. In the AI era, educators must also embrace unlearning, relearning, and continuous improvement. Teaching methods designed decades ago may no longer prepare students adequately for a highly digital and innovation-driven economy. Faculty development programmes should therefore become continuous and mandatory within Nigerian universities.
Beyond curriculum and faculty reform, universities must strengthen industry collaboration and practical learning. Students should graduate with exposure to internships, digital projects, innovation hubs, entrepreneurial development, and real workplace experiences. Entrepreneurship education should move beyond writing theoretical business plans merely to pass examinations. Students should instead be encouraged to solve real societal problems and develop practical solutions. Stronger collaboration between academia, government, and the private sector is essential if Nigerian graduates are to become globally competitive. The long-term danger is that Nigeria may continue producing graduates who are academically qualified but economically unprepared. This weakens productivity, discourages investment, increases unemployment, and limits national competitiveness in a technology-driven global economy. The time to act is now. Artificial Intelligence is evolving faster than many institutions anticipated, and its impact on education and employment will continue to deepen. Universities that fail to modernise risk producing graduates who may struggle to remain relevant in future labour markets. The future belongs to nations that equip their young people with adaptable skills, technological competence, creativity, and innovation capacity. Nigerian universities must therefore evolve quickly enough to meet the demands of the AI era before the gap between education and economic reality becomes even wider. Good luck!
How may you obtain advice or further information on the article?
Dr Timi Olubiyi is an expert in Entrepreneurship and Business Management, holding a PhD in Business Administration from Babcock University in Nigeria. He is a prolific investment coach, author, columnist, and seasoned scholar. Additionally, he is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and a registered capital market operator with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He can be reached through his Twitter handle @drtimiolubiyi and via email at [email protected] for any questions, feedback, or comments. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Dr Timi Olubiyi, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn