The Lagos State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers on Friday said about 16,000 teachers were needed to adequately cater for government-owned primary and secondary schools in the state.
The state NUT Chairman, Segun Raheem, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that 9,000 teachers would be needed in the primary schools and 7,000 in secondary schools.
Raheem said the situation in the schools were pathetic as the 1,300 teachers recently recruited could not cover the huge shortage of teachers being experienced in the schools.
He said: “Thousands of teachers have retired from June 2015, to date.
“Lack of teachers in our schools is now becoming a major issue.
“A teacher taking two to three classes together with between 60 to 90 students in each class is not professional.”
The unionist said due to economic difficulties in the country, the recruitment of 16,000 teachers might not be possible, but effort must be made by government to close the gap created.
Raheem said recruitment should be done often to close the gap.
He said in 2004 and 2006, the Federal Ministry of Education came up with a scheme to cushion the effect of lack of teachers in schools across the country.
The chairman said under the scheme, N10,000 was paid by the Federal Government and N5,000 by the state government to the teachers employed to stand in the gap for two years.
He recalled that 2,000 teachers were recruited on contract by the state government in 2004 and were laid off 2006 although 200 were recalled after protests.
Raheem added: “Since then, there has been no recruitment in Lagos State.”
NAN.
