As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Teachers’ Day, the National Youth Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Balarabe Rufa’i, has issued a passionate call for urgent reforms in the education sector to properly honour the contributions of teachers across the country.
Rufa’i, who once taught at Government Secondary School, Warure, recalled standing before a class of over 200 students, many of whom shared a single textbook or wrote on scraps of paper. “Yet they came to school every day with dreams bigger than their circumstances,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.
He described the experience as transformative, but also revealing of the harsh realities teachers face daily. “Teachers in Nigeria carry the future of our nation on their shoulders, but our system continues to fail them,” he stated.
According to him, classrooms across the country are overcrowded, underfunded, and largely forgotten by policymakers. In some schools, a single teacher is responsible for more than 200 pupils. Many teachers, he noted, still earn between ₦30,000 and ₦45,000 monthly, with several going unpaid for months — yet they continue to teach and nurture hope.
Rufa’i criticized the practice of recruiting teachers as political rewards, arguing that “teaching is a calling, not a reward for loyalty.” He warned that placing unqualified individuals in classrooms undermines not just lessons but the future of the nation.
He also questioned the government’s funding priorities. “Governors must use their subsidy bonuses to rebuild education, not enrich pockets under the guise of capital projects,” he said, challenging the federal government to account for how much of its ₦100 trillion borrowing has been allocated to education. “The nation deserves an answer. And if we don’t get one, we will call on NGOs and civil society to find out,” he added.
Rufa’i called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to implement the special salary scale for teachers, recruit more qualified educators, and invest in infrastructure that supports effective learning. “Education should not be a political slogan; it should be a national rescue mission,” he emphasized.
In a message of solidarity, he addressed teachers directly: “To every teacher across Nigeria: we see your sacrifice, we honour your courage, and we stand with you. You taught us to believe in a better tomorrow. Now it’s our turn to fight for the system you keep alive.”
