review-of-the-literature-on-basic-education-in-nigeria-june-2014-3-1

Review <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>literature</strong> on basic education in NigeriaCHAPTER 10: TEACHERS AND TEACHER EDUCATION10.1 Introduction‘Learning outcomes are, to a large extent, dependent on what teachers do (or do not do) at <strong>the</strong>school and classroom levels’ (FME 2011a: 55).‘It is generally accepted that <strong>the</strong> competence and commitment <strong>of</strong> teachers are two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mostimportant determinants <strong>of</strong> learning outcomes’ (Bennell and Akyeampong 2007: 3).Despite large investments in education in recent years, <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> teaching and teacher educationcontinues to be <strong>of</strong> great concern to FGN. This chapter builds on Chapter 4, providing fur<strong>the</strong>rexplanations <strong>of</strong> why <strong>the</strong> overall quality <strong>of</strong> teaching remains very low in many schools across Nigeria byfocusing on teachers and <strong>the</strong> training <strong>the</strong>y receive. First, <strong>the</strong> chapter looks at teachers and <strong>the</strong> numbers<strong>of</strong> qualified and unqualified teachers in both <strong>the</strong> state and <strong>the</strong> private sector. Next, we consider <strong>the</strong>processes <strong>of</strong> teacher appointment and deployment before reporting on teachers’ pay and conditionsand <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>the</strong>y have on teachers’ motivation and performance. The focus <strong>the</strong>n shifts to teachereducation, both pre-service and in-service, and <strong>the</strong> challenges faced by both, as well as a <strong>review</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>little available <strong>literature</strong> on some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> school-based teacher development initiatives that have beentaking place in nor<strong>the</strong>rn Nigeria.10.2 Teachers10.2.1 Teacher characteristicsOne problem said to be at <strong>the</strong> root <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> low quality <strong>of</strong> education is <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> teachers, and lack <strong>of</strong>qualified teachers and subject specialists in particular (UBEC 2012a; FME 2011a). As shown in Table 10.1,<strong>the</strong> minimum qualification for teaching at nursery, primary or junior secondary level is NCE.Table 10.1 Minimum teaching qualifications by level <strong>of</strong> schoolingLevel <strong>of</strong> educationNurseryPrimaryJunior secondarySenior secondaryMinimum qualification(s)NCENCENCEBEd/BSc or BAAlthough absolute numbers are not very meaningful given that data are missing for a number <strong>of</strong> states,and returns from <strong>the</strong> private sector are particularly sparse, <strong>the</strong> percentages give some indication <strong>of</strong>patterns nationally. As Table 10.2 indicates, almost two-thirds <strong>of</strong> public primary teachers are qualified,on average, although regional variation is great. The lack <strong>of</strong> qualified teachers is generally worse in <strong>the</strong>more rural, nor<strong>the</strong>rn regions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country: in <strong>the</strong> North East and North West well under half <strong>the</strong>teachers are qualified whereas in <strong>the</strong> South West almost all teachers are qualified. There is also greatvariation among states and within states among LGEAs. EMIS returns for Kano and Lagos states in2011/12, for example, show <strong>the</strong> mean percentage <strong>of</strong> qualified public primary teachers to be 63% and95%, respectively, with LGEA figures for Kano State varying between 40% and 89%. Even at <strong>the</strong> LGEAlevel <strong>the</strong>re is variation, with urban areas <strong>of</strong>ten having a greater number <strong>of</strong> qualified teachers than ruralareas (Adekola 2007).EDOREN – Education Data, Research and Evaluation in Nigeria 114