NHRC calls for investment in teachers, schools for quality education

As Nigeria joins the world to mark World Teachers’ Day on 5 October 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Federal and state governments to urgently step up investment in teachers, schools and learning facilities, warning that the right to quality education cannot be guaranteed where teachers are poorly supported and schools remain unsafe or inadequately equipped.

The NHRC Executive Secretary, Chief Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said in a statement on Monday that improving Nigeria’s education system requires more than policy commitments, stressing that teacher welfare, professional development and decent working conditions are inseparable from the right of every child to quality education.

He therefore urged governments to prioritise education in planning and budgeting, particularly in rural, underserved and conflict-affected communities where children face greater barriers to learning. He described teachers as indispensable to the realisation of the right to education and the development of a society anchored on equality, human dignity and respect for human rights.

The NHRC boss called for regular professional training, timely payment of salaries, decent working conditions, manageable workloads and adequate teaching resources for teachers, noting that overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities and poor learning environments ultimately affect the quality of education available to children.

Ojukwu also urged governments to accelerate investment in functional classrooms, water and sanitation, electricity, digital learning facilities and disability-inclusive infrastructure, particularly in communities where educational facilities remain inadequate.

He stressed that children must be able to learn in environments free from violence, bullying, discrimination and other forms of abuse, adding that girls, children with disabilities and other vulnerable groups require particular attention to ensure equal access to education.

He therefore urged the National Assembly to pass the Safe Schools Bill into law without further delay. He added that Nigeria’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 and other national and international obligations on the right to education requires sustained action to recruit, train, motivate and retain qualified teachers while improving the conditions in which they work.

Ojukwu called on governments, education authorities, school administrators, parents and communities to move beyond declarations and take concrete steps to make quality, inclusive and safe education a reality for every Nigerian child.

“Investing in teachers is investing in the right to education and the future of the country. A nation cannot guarantee quality education while its teachers are inadequately supported and its schools remain unsafe or poorly equipped. Government must translate education commitments and budgetary allocations into visible improvements in classrooms and in the lives of teachers and learners,” he said.