How Can We Reposition The Teaching Profession To Attract And Retain Nigeria’s Top Talents?

IMPROVING THE CURRICULUM VALUE CHAIN: HOW CAN WE REPOSITION THE TEACHING PROFESSION TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN NIGERIA’S TOP TALENTS?

A REPORT

DATE: SATURDAY, 12 JULY 2025

TIME: 4:00 PM WAT

PREPARED BY THE LITERARY RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION (LRF)

 CONTENTS

Executive Summary……………………………………………….. 3

Format of Programme……………………………………………. 4

Conclusion and Recommendations…………………………… 9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Teachers form the cornerstone of any thriving education system. They are the builders of nations, the shapers of character, and the stewards of tomorrow’s leaders. Yet in Nigeria, the teaching profession is suffering from decades of neglect, devaluation, and systemic decline.

While other high-performing education systems around the world like Finland, Singapore, and South Korea have successfully rebranded teaching as a very lucrative and valued career, Nigeria continues to fall short in attracting and retaining top talent in the profession. This has had far-reaching consequences, including poor curriculum delivery, declining student performance, and widening gaps in educational achievements across regions.

Unless there are deliberate efforts to make teaching appealing to qualified professionals, the nation risks further exacerbating its educational crisis and losing the opportunity to leverage its growing youth population for national development.

The Literary Renaissance Foundation organised its civic engagement and public participation dialogue, tagged the Reading Culture Dialogue, which focused on effective ways to improve the curriculum value chain to attract and retain Nigeria’s top talents in the teaching profession. Teachers, professionals, and students from diverse parts of Nigeria were among those who gathered to discuss the issue and suggest solutions.

The prevailing question in the Dialogue was: How can we reposition the teaching profession to attract and retain Nigeria’s top talents?

FORMAT OF THE PROGRAMME

This is the third edition of the quarterly Dialogue in the year 2025. The panel included teachers, professionals, students, and other individuals with a keen interest in the topic.

Programme date: Saturday, July 12, 2025

Programme venue: Zoom

Facilitators: Babatunde Oladele (moderator), Mary Ogundipe (timekeeper), Oluwafunmilayo Makinde (notetaker). Discussants: Deji Aliu (Lagos), Rachel Oluwafisayo (Ibadan), Wale Olayisade (Lagos), Akachi Lanre-Ottun (Lagos), Kamaldeen Raji. Participants: Amos Akande (Abuja), Linus Badmus, Dagga Tolar (Lagos), Funmilola Badmus, Ifeoluwa Oyewole, Ifeyinwa Susan Francis, Halima Abdulazeez.

The Dialogue kicked off at 4 p.m. WAT and ran until 7 p.m. At the beginning, the moderator opened the floor by introducing himself, and then allowed participants the opportunity to do the same. Each participant took turns introducing themselves and sharing their name, location, and occupation. Thereafter, the moderator outlined the purpose of the Dialogue, discussed its achievements thus far, and clarified its objectives, structure, and conduct.

The discussion was inclusive, with the moderator frequently inviting participants to read different sections of the programme slides, following the standard procedures provided by the National Issues Forum (NIF) of the United States. Before diving into the discussions, specific ground rules were established and agreed upon by all participants.

Ground Rules:

• Focus on the options and actions we can take nationally and in our communities.
• Consider all options fairly.
• Listening is just as important as speaking.
• No one or two individuals should dominate.
• Maintain an open and respectful atmosphere.
• Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Discussion Structure

The discussion was on the effective measures to attract and retain Nigeria’s top talents in the teaching profession.  This topic was approached from three aspects:

• Option One: Improve Teacher Compensation and Career Progression Pathways
• Option Two: Elevate Teacher Training and Certification Standards to Global Levels
• Option Three: Launch a National Campaign to Rebrand the Teaching Profession

During the discussion, each option outlined in the issue guide was thoroughly examined, and different strategies to address the problem were carefully analysed. For every proposed action, a drawback was presented to anticipate potential challenges in its implementation. Everyone actively engaged in the debate, offering their insights and attentively listening to others’ perspectives. Speakers who followed often evaluated the ideas and inputs of previous speakers, resulting in enriching debates and valuable insights.

The resulting details from each policy option are presented below:

Option One: Improve Teacher Compensation and Career Progression Pathways

The option held that improving teacher compensation and establishing clear profession pathways is necessary to reposition the profession and attract top talents.

The following actions were considered:

• The government should implement a structured, competitive salary system that reflects teachers’ qualifications, years of service, and performance outcomes.
• The Ministry of Education should develop and enforce merit-based criteria for admission into teacher training institutions nationwide.
• Community leaders can advocate and support local teacher appreciation initiatives to boost morale and societal respect for the profession.
• Teacher training institutions ought to offer subsidised or free continuous professional development (CPD) courses to encourage growth and specialisation.

The possible obstacles to implementing these action points were identified, with each drawback representing a barrier to the action described in the corresponding number.

• State budget may differ, making uniform implementation across the country difficult.
• Some regions may struggle to meet entry standards due to existing disparities in access to quality secondary education.
• Such initiatives may have limited reach in communities where education is already under-prioritised.
• Funding constraints may limit the frequency and quality of continuous professional development programmes offered across institutions.

These points were discussed at length by the participants. Some emphasized the importance of implementing the actions, including that strict enforcement must be added into such policies. Others noted that if students were not well cared for, it wouldn’t matter the amount of remuneration given to the teachers as the delivery might still be poor.

Option Two: Elevate Teacher Training and Certification Standards to Global Levels

This option maintained that teacher training and certification standards in Nigeria should be elevated to improve performance in the classroom and reposition the profession as one of excellence.

The following actions were considered:

• Colleges and university faculties of education should introduce research-based and globally benchmarked curricula tailored to Nigerian contexts.
• Education policymakers can raise the admission criteria for teacher education programs to attract high-performing candidates.
• Government should partner with international teacher education bodies to offer exchange programs, joint research, and faculty development.

The drawbacks to these propositions were also presented for discussion:

• Some institutions may initially lack the technical expertise to revise their curricula independently.
• Rural and underserved areas may face challenges in meeting higher entry standards unless supported by preparatory programs.
• International collaborations may be limited by geopolitical or funding constraints if not properly negotiated.

Option Three: Launch a National Campaign to Rebrand the Teaching Profession

The option stated that a national campaign to rebrand the teaching profession should be implemented to restore societal respect for teachers and attract top talents into the field.

Below are the action points:

• The government should initiate a coordinated national media campaign using TV, radio, social media, and community platforms to promote teaching as a noble and professional career.
• National Orientation Agency (NOA) should lead grassroots mobilisation by organising town hall meetings, school outreach programmes, and local campaigns to reshape public attitudes toward teachers.
• Media professions and content creators should partner with educators to promote inspiring storytelling content (films, documentaries, and blogs) that portray teachers positively.

Their respective drawbacks include:

• Campaigns may have limited reach in remote areas without adequate media access.
• Continuous funding and logistical support may be required to sustain momentum over time.
• Content may not trend widely unless supported by influencers who are integrated into mainstream entertainment.

Some of the participants added that past successful alumni of secondary schools should be leveraged to improve school’s development. Also, an endowment fund from the alumni should be established to rebrand and reposition the teaching profession. In addition, teachers should make effective use of social media platforms to create contents that would promote their talents.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The dialogue primarily focused on the image of the teaching profession in Nigeria, discussing associated problems, effects, and potential solutions. Participants extensively deliberated on the listed options, providing each individual with an opportunity to express personal opinions on the topic. Every contribution was carefully recorded.

Adherence to the ground rules set for the Dialogue ensured that discussions were conducted in an orderly and constructive manner. Overall, the Dialogue achieved its aim, with active participation from all attendees who offered valuable insights and suggestions throughout the deliberations.

Recurring points among the speakers include the following:

• The consequences of bad education are not immediate. The effects are typically revealed in future when they begin to have negative impact on society.
• The school environments in some rural areas do not encourage top talents to venture into the teaching profession.
• Private-funded education is only beneficial to a few people.
• Good remuneration plays a major role in attracting and retaining top talents in the profession.

Recommendations

The following recommendations were discussed:

• Deliberate action must be taken to improve the grading of the teaching career and this would involve a sizeable budget.
• Remuneration should be performance-based, with the teacher’s delivery and ability to develop students a key metric.
• An endowment fund should be established with the support of alumni to rebrand and reposition the teaching profession.
• Teachers should utilise social media platforms and traditional media to promote the teaching profession and attract top talent.
• Retired teachers and professionals across board should volunteer a part of their time to educate students for free in secondary schools.

 About the LRF

The Literary Renaissance Foundation (LRF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the United Nations, which focuses on providing inclusive and equitable for all and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

Established in response to the rising levels of illiteracy and declining interest in reading and learning in Nigeria, the foundation obtained official recognition from the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria on 23 March, 2018.

Also Read: James Akpandem Reignites Spirit of Tradition at LRF