In crucial subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and more, part-time teachers are emerging as a vital solution, this report by Clement Idoko, Tunbosun Ogundare, Modupe George, Lawrence Bajah, Adelowo Oladipo, Attahiru Ahmed, examines the experiences of schools, benefits and challenges of relying on part-time educators to fill the gap, ensuring continuity and quality education for students.
Findings have revealed that most public secondary schools now hire part-time teachers to teach basic subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English Language amidst acute shortage of qualified teachers in the country.
This development, experts said is an aberration and capable of lowering standards in delivery of quality secondary education in Nigeria, thereby affecting the performance of students in the science-related subjects.
Both the federal and state governments run public secondary schools and unfortunately, a number of states and the Federal Government have not recruited new teachers for several years to replace those who exited through retirement from the service, death or have transferred their services into the core civil service.
Accordingly, most public secondary schools across the country suffer from acute shortage of qualified teachers because of these long years of non-recruitment of fresh teachers.
Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, declared that teachers play a very important role in the teaching and learning process, adding that their number and quality significantly contribute to improved learner performance.
A recent National Personnel Audit (NPA), conducted by UBEC indicated that teacher shortage in the country has risen to 194,876.
President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mr Titus Amba, attributed the shortfall of qualified teachers in public schools to refusal of both federal and some state governments to recruit new teachers in spite of repeated demands by the union.
It was observed that the use of part-time teachers is more pronounced in Federal Government Colleges also known as Unity Schools, where they are engaged by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of each school, and form a significant percentage of their teaching workforce.
Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed that almost all Unity Colleges including King’s and Queen’s Colleges in Lagos to Federal Government College in Ikirun, Osun State, are not exempted from the practice.
It was gathered that though those teachers are being paid meagre wages which is in the range of N50,000 monthly, they are university graduates who are very dedicated and committed to work in some cases more than some of the permanent staff.
Some of those who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised said they usually put in their best efforts so as to justify why they are engaged and also for them to be considered first whenever the government is ready to recruit new teachers.
Although the Federal Government in response to the acute shortage of teachers in the Unity Schools, had last week promised to recruit no fewer than 3,500 new teachers to be deployed across its 115 Unity Schools spread across the country, it however remains to be seen when the recruitment is done.
Lagos State
In Lagos public schools, engagement of part-time teachers to teach students either in core or ordinary subjects is at minimal level, Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed. Only a few of such teachers exist generally in the state-owned schools.
The State government does not even encourage such practice as its frown at it on the premise that it is operating a free education policy.
The chairman of Parent-Forum of the state public schools, Deacon Olusoji Adams, told Nigerian Tribune that the state government is against parents imposing any form of levy on themselves for any purpose including hiring of part-time teachers.
According to him, “it is not that the state government-schools have enough teachers across subjects in its schools but whenever parents see a gap and decide to intervene especially for core subjects which are English Language, Mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics, we hire competent teachers based on the existing standards, and we make voluntary donations (and not levies) among ourselves to meet such need.
“This comes once in a while and such donation is not in any way compulsory for any parent. It is totally voluntary and because of that only few parents usually respond to such calls. However, we ensure we engage competent hands and monitor them,” he stressed.
Adams explained that the state government had taken such a position from when the incumbent President, Bola Tinubu, was the governor of the state and sustained it till date.
He also noted that the state government periodically recruits new teachers to replace the existing ones, citing the recent exercise as an example.
The chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Lagos State chapter, Mr Hassan Akintoye, corroborated this claim, saying the state government does not operate with part-time or casual workers not only in the teaching profession but across state public service.
He pointed out that where part-time teachers exist in the state-owned schools is on stringent cases and for science-related subjects and English Language.
He noted that though the state had not enough teachers in its schools, it recruits new hands on a regular basis, including this year.
Oyo State
In Ibadan, findings also revealed that the state does not encourage use of part-time teachers. Almost all the teachers who are teaching in public schools in the state are employees of the state except in rare occasions where a specialised teacher had to be engaged by a particular school.
Professor Adekunle Bakare, Dean of Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan described the use of part-time teachers for teaching of core subjects as part of the general decadence in the Nigerian society.
He said: “In the olden days, we had colleges of education where teachers were trained. What has become of those institutions now? The government used to employ qualified teachers in those days and the salary was enough to maintain the teachers and their families.
“In some cases, most of these teachers have retired or died due to old age, and were not replaced, hence, several vacant positions in our secondary and primary schools.
“Unfortunately, this seems to affect the science courses more than the others. So, the community resorted to hiring teachers which happens to be mostly on a part time basis because they cannot afford the payment for a full time teacher.
“And also maybe because the science teachers are maximising their pay(for economic reasons) by accepting (or stating) to work only on part time. We have also noted that we have fewer science graduates compared to the humanities.
“The implication of this is simple. We no longer have quality delivery by the teachers; many do not prepare well to teach the students, and many are only after the money to be paid.
“The economic situation is not helping as the affordable pay by the community is not enough to maintain the teachers, so they have to do two or three teaching jobs to make ends meet. This has profound negative effects on the student as they do not have sound foundations in the basics.
“It is easily noticed in some of those students who manage to enter the university or other higher institutions as they usually find it difficult to cope. Some of them who become teachers in the future also continue the “half baked delivery syndrome” too.
“Overall, there is a poor performance by the future generations in the society and hence reduced productivity by the Nigerian system as compared to other well developed and disciplined nations,” he stated.
According to Pastor Johnson Oladejo, the immediate past principal of Ibadan Grammar School (IGS), Molete, Ibadan, who retired in May, 2024, IGS, has never hired any teacher aside from government teachers, to teach any subject.
“From my experience before retiring, I can conveniently say that in IGS, we never hired any teacher aside from government teachers, to teach any subject.
“Even we had recruited teachers whose salaries are being paid every month by the Old Students’ Association of that great school. Due to the large population of the students, we may even have two or three teachers handling a particular subject,” he stated.
Also, speaking the Principal of Emerald Laurel Comprehensive College, Mrs Brenda Mojisola Kolade told Nigerian Tribune that hiring teachers who take core subjects like Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry on a part-time basis was not really ideal.
She argued that such teachers should be employed on a permanent basis for continuity in teaching, mastery of subject matter, experience and regularity.
According to her, engaging part-time teachers to teach basic subjects does not yield maximum results, as such teachers are always in a hurry and do not give their best in terms of productivity.
She observed that teachers who are hired on a part-time basis do not work for the whole week. “They come in for a few days of the week and do not give optimum time, as they are always in a hurry to meet up with the next school, therefore they always fall short in explaining in detail to the students, ensuring that the students understand and assimilate what is taught, giving qualitative notes, marking notes and following up on assignments.
“Consequently, the delivery of quality education is reduced, leading to poor results among students in both public and private secondary schools.
She listed some of the reasons for this trend to include the fact that core subject teachers are fast becoming extinct, the salaries for core subject teachers are higher than regular teachers and most schools find it difficult to afford such salaries.
A physics teacher and head of Physics Department at Valencia College, Ibadan, Mr Johnson Olubowale, condemned the practice, saying “this practice is prevalent in private schools with lower standards, in order to cut cost and maximize profits. Students from these schools hardly perform well in examinations such as WASSCE, NECO and UTME.
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Niger State
A private school owner in Niger State, Mrs Deborah Lawal, the proprietress of “Olamoel Grace Divine School” located in Paggo, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, condemned the use of part-time teachers to teach core subjects, saying the practice was wrong if it is actually going on in public schools.
She, however, said that she has no idea as to whether public secondary schools in Niger state hire teachers in basic subjects areas through community associations.
Mrs Lawal, stated in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune over the weekend in Minna, that if this task is left to the community associations, then the implication to the quality of education being provided for students of such schools would be disastrous.
FCT, Abuja
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some secondary schools hire teachers in basic subjects like chemistry, mathematics and physics, which observers said could reduce the quality of education.
When Nigerian Tribune got across to the deputy director, FCT Secondary Education Board, Mrs Elizabeth Udofia for clarification, she said: “Schools hire teachers when they lack teachers in those subjects and that most times Parents Teachers Association (PTA) step in to help fund their salaries.
“It happens in both public and private schools, but the hired teachers are always qualified. If you are not qualified, government schools won’t consider you. Considering this fact, this does not have an adverse effect on the quality of education delivery.
“It’s only bad when secondary school leavers are hired to teach those subjects, and that can only happen in private schools even when they have money to pay qualified teachers. When school inspectors come, they even present such teachers.”
Dr Andrew Bamidele, an educationist, told Nigerian Tribune that the practice of employing secondary school leavers in the nation’s capital, Abuja, is an obstacle to quality delivery of education.
He said: “When schools in the FCT, particularly the ones in satellite towns hire quacks who do not know the fundamentals of teaching students, it hampers and obstructs the flow of quality delivery of education, as the teachers themselves are handicapped.”
Zamfara State
A retired principal in the Zamfara State, Mallam Shehu, admitted that many schools in the state lacked science subject teachers both public and private in the state.
In an interview with Nigerian Tribune, Mallam Shehu, described science subjects as core to driving technology for national development.
“It’s not healthy hiring science subject teachers on a part-time basis. Many of them did not undergo teacher training; they have only a degree but have no teaching methods,” he lamented.
According to him, hiring basic subject teachers has a lot of implications to the progress of education in both public and private secondary schools, particularly when those teachers hired were not qualified to the standard. Those recruited should make sure that those recruited have basic knowledge of teaching principles.”
The state Commissioner for Education, Mallam Wadatau Madawaki has emphasised the need to address challenges of education. He revealed that the state governor, Mr Dauda Lawal, worried by the decline of the education sector has recently declared a state of emergency on education in the state.
According to the commissioner, Zamfara state would soon bounce back to its lost glory on education as the present administration has put in all that it will take to revive the education sector in the state with emphasis on the recruitment of qualified teachers in the basic subjects that include Mathematic, Physics, Chemistry and English Language.
“Very soon,the state government would commence the recruitment of 2,000 qualified teachers with emphasis on science subjects,” he said.
According to him, the present administration is paying special attention to science, technical, and entrepreneurship studies.
“Plans have reached an advanced stage for the establishment of nine special schools that will focus on these areas of study,” he added.
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