Nigeria’s education sector is facing mounting challenges, including inadequate funding, insecurity, poor infrastructure and worsening teacher welfare, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has warned.

NUT National President, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, raised the concerns in Enugu on Tuesday while addressing the union’s 59th (8th Quadrennial) National Conference of Delegates, held from September 28 to 30, 2026.

The conference, which brought together NUT delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, government officials, labour leaders and education stakeholders, focused on the theme: “Deployment of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education Will Erode the Place of Teachers in the Classroom: A Myth or Reality?”

Amba said the conference provided an opportunity to review the union’s achievements over the past four years, examine challenges confronting teachers and discuss the future direction of Nigeria’s education sector.

He described education as a key driver of national development, stressing that a strong education system is essential for sustainable economic growth.

Funding and Infrastructure Concerns

According to the NUT president, poor remuneration, teacher shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate instructional materials, limited professional development, underfunding and insecurity remain major obstacles to quality education in Nigeria.

He also identified weak implementation of education policies and inadequate digital learning resources as additional challenges facing schools.

Amba called on the federal and state governments to increase their investment in education, arguing that inadequate funding has contributed to poor infrastructure, shortages of teaching materials and limited investment in teachers.

He said federal allocations to education had remained below internationally recommended benchmarks of 15 to 20 per cent of national budgets, while some states had not fully accessed counterpart funds available through the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The NUT president urged governments at both national and subnational levels to increase education spending and invest more in teachers, whom he described as central to achieving quality education.

Teachers and Students Face Security Risks

The union also expressed concern about the safety of teachers and students amid continuing insecurity in parts of the country.

Amba recalled that the NUT’s 2022 National Delegates Conference in Ibadan focused on terrorism and attacks on schools, noting that teachers and learners had since continued to face threats, abductions and attacks.

He said some teachers had been killed or abducted while carrying out their duties and called for stronger security measures around schools.

Amba urged governments to strengthen school security and ensure the full implementation of safe-school initiatives.

He stressed that the safety of teachers and learners must remain a priority in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education system.

NUT Renews Call for Teachers’ Welfare Measures

Amba also renewed the union’s call for the implementation of welfare measures approved for teachers by the Federal Government in 2020.

The measures include a special salary structure for teachers in basic and secondary schools, bursaries for education students, a special pension scheme for teachers and a defined career path for the profession.

Other demands include affordable housing for teachers in rural communities, loans for agriculture, housing, vehicles and motorcycles, as well as free tuition and automatic admission for teachers’ biological children.

According to Amba, implementing these measures would improve teachers’ welfare and help make the profession more attractive to qualified young Nigerians.

The NUT president also commended the Federal Government for enacting the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, which allows teachers to retire at 65 or after 40 years of service, whichever comes first.

However, he raised concerns over additional guidelines introduced by some states and the FCT, which the union believes conflict with the provisions of the law.

Union Opposes King’s College Concession

The NUT also opposed the reported concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association under a public-private partnership arrangement.

Amba said the union recognised the contributions of alumni and other stakeholders to education but objected to transferring the management and operational responsibilities of a public school to a private association.

He maintained that education remains a public responsibility and a fundamental right.

The NUT president therefore called for the suspension and reversal of the reported concession, urging the Federal Ministry of Education to consult teachers, parents and other stakeholders before making decisions affecting public schools.

As the education sector continues to grapple with funding, security, infrastructure and workforce challenges, the NUT conference highlighted the need for sustained investment in schools and teachers while also examining how emerging technologies and artificial intelligence could reshape education and the role of teachers.

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