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The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi has revealed that only 57 per cent of the nation’s basic education teachers are qualified.
He also said that there was an increase from 841,716 in 2008 to 1.5 million in 2018 in the population of the teachers.
He spoke in Kaduna yesterday in a speech entitled, “State of Basic Education in Nigeria: Prospect and Challenges”.
The UBEC boss said that the percentage represented a decline from 76 per cent in 2008 to 57 per cent in 2018. He said that in spite of the huge investment in the sector, basic education was still characterised by poor learning outcomes, unqualified teachers and acute infrastructure deficit among others.
He also expressed concern over the increasing rate of enrollment in basic schools, which he said was not proportional to the available infrastructure and funding.
“For example, enrolment in preprimary school (Early Child Care Development Education) has increased from 2.1 million in 2006 to 2.7 million in 2010 and skyrocket to 7.2 million in 2018, representing 167 per cent increase. Also, enrolment in primary schools, which declined from 24.2 million in 2006 to 21.9 million in 2010, equally increased to 27.9 million in 2018, indicating a 27 per cent increase.
The story was no different in Junior Secondary schools where enrolment also increased from 3.6 million in 2006 to 4.6 million in 2010 and further increased to 6.8 million in 2018, representing 49 per cent increase.
He also said that enrollment in public primary schools constituted 83 per cent in contrast with 17 per cent in private primary schools. He equally said that junior secondary schools had 79 per cent enrollment as against 21 per cent in private junior secondary schools in the country.
According to him, the scenario shows that government has greater responsibility of proving quality education to the Nigerian children to enable them to live a meaningful and productive life in the future.
