Experts have debated the impact of private schools on education in Nigeria.
This debate happened during a conversation on the 2023 commemoration of Teachers Day, where a critical question was posed on Nigeria Info's Hard Facts: Has the nature of private schools in Nigeria negatively affected the landscape of education in the country?
A teacher, Isaac Uwadiunor, who has also been a school administrator, argued that private schools have found a "very big market in Nigeria" due to the high demand for quality education. He believes that private schools have not declined education, but rather have provided an alternative for parents who are dissatisfied with the public school system.
Another teacher, Dr Austen Sado, who is a university lecturer, argued to the contrary. He cited the poor working conditions and quality of teachers in some private schools as reasons for his concern. He stated that "many of the teachers are not trained or qualified teachers, the condition of service is poor, so they're merely using them to keep students and make money."
Highlighting some challenges teachers in the private sector face, Mr Uwadiunor stated a lack of manpower and the absence of a retirement scheme.
“Chances are that a teacher who is actually not a professional, for instance, if he didn’t study History, chances are because the school wants you to meet a particular workload for a week, you may actually be asked to do subjects that you don’t have competencies in,” he said.
He noted that the solution lies in the government having the right supervision plan and quality inspectors for schools.
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