Expert blames poor education standards on undervaluing teachers

 

 

Nigeria’s education system is crippled by a crisis of value, where teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked, says human resources and change management expert Yomi Fawehinmi.

 

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Saturday, Fawehinmi said that while Nigeria has begun to observe World Teachers’ Day, the deeper issues affecting teachers and the education sector remain unresolved.

 

“We went from a country that wasn’t celebrating World Teachers’ Day to this. Some states have used the opportunity to make a difference. Some give gifts, some give grants, which is good and very helpful, but as a profession all over the world, the teaching profession is one of the things that suffers the most.”

 

According to him, poor remuneration and entrenched social and gender biases have weakened the profession and diminished its appeal.

“Somebody in education earns about 25% less than his colleagues with the same degree elsewhere, even in America,” he said.

 

“Professions where there are more females tend to be paid less and tend to be overlooked. Compare it anywhere, nurses versus doctors, air hostesses versus pilots, the gender reflects the pay,” he added.

 

Fawehinmi argued that societies that value progress prioritise the quality of their teachers.

 

“In South Korea or Finland, the most brilliant students go into teaching. When you don’t get into the teacher’s college, then you go and become a doctor or lawyer. The most brilliant are teaching their children,” he said.

 

He contrasted this with Nigeria’s approach, where teaching often attracts the least performing students, a practice that undermines education from its foundation.

 

“We had a minister that said the lowest cut-off mark for university admission was for teacher training. It’s a strange system where the weakest students train your children,” he observed.

 

Fawehinmi said the impact of this misplaced priority is visible in the poor comprehension and reasoning skills of many young Nigerians.

“Go to social media and read people’s comments. You will know that English language wasn’t well taught. One of the biggest problems we have today is the problem of comprehension,” he said.

 

He also criticised the growing obsession with expensive private schools, noting that high tuition fees do not translate to better learning outcomes.

 

“If I pay ₦15 million for my child’s education and you pay ₦1 million, do you see ₦15 million reasoning in my child?” he asked. “These schools are just expensive; it’s not an efficient system.”

Fawehinmi further questioned the logic behind costly sports levies in private schools that yield no meaningful results.

 

“Why is it that you have schools where they tell you to pay hundreds of thousands for sports levy, and none of those schools has produced anyone that has represented Nigeria in any major sport in the last 15 years?” he asked.

 

He stressed that true education should be measured by learning outcomes, not infrastructure or prestige, urging parents to align schooling with their children’s individual talents and goals.

 

“The point is for us as parents to understand the choices we are making about schooling for our children and know the implications. There is no school that can do everything because every child has unique talents and needs,” he said.

 

Fawehinmi urged policymakers to redefine education beyond classroom learning and recognise that cultural values shape national development.

 

“We must redefine that word education. One of the biggest problems with our commissioners and ministers for education is they feel education is schooling. Education happens in school and outside of school,” he said.

 

He concluded with a call for a cultural reawakening in how Nigerians value learning and teachers.

 

“Education is not just about schooling; it’s about the total shaping of human thought and value. Until we treat teachers and education with dignity, Nigeria will continue to produce citizens who can read but cannot reason,” Fawehinmi said.