TEACHERS' EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN NIGERIA: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS IN NIGERIA
Abstract
Nigeria's attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on inclusive and quality education, is inextricably bound to the quality, preparation, and sustained professional development of teachers in every geopolitical zone of the country. In North-Central Nigeria comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau states, and the Federal Capital Territory teachers' education faces a convergence of structural, institutional, and socio-political challenges that significantly impede progress toward the 2030 Agenda. This paper examines the multidimensional relationship between teachers' education and the SDGs in the North-Central zone, drawing on quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey of 512 serving teachers, school administrators, and education officers sampled across six states of the zone (excluding FCT) between January and March 2026. The study adopted a concurrent mixed-methods triangulation design, supplemented by secondary data from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Teachers' Institute (NTI), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) for the period 2015–2025. Findings reveal acute deficits in teacher qualification ratios with only 54.3% of primary school teachers in North-Central states holding the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) or higher qualification alongside chronic underfunding of Colleges of Education, inadequate ICT infrastructure, persistent gender gaps in teacher recruitment and retention, and the disruptive effects of farmer-herder conflict and banditry on teacher deployment and school attendance. At the same time, the study identifies substantial prospects, including the federal government's Teacher Development Programme (TDP), the UBEC-State partnership model, expanding mobile and e-learning platforms, and growing civil society advocacy for teacher welfare reform. The paper concludes with policy recommendations centered on funding reform, conflict-sensitive teacher deployment, and alignment of Colleges of Education curricula with the SDG framework.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Adamu, A. U., & Garba, M. (2023).Evaluating the Teacher Development Programme in northern Nigeria: Evidence of instructional gains in literacy and numeracy. International Journal of Educational Development, 96, 102693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102693
Adeleke, T. A., &Bamidele, O. F. (2021). Education financing and the attainment of SDG 4 in Nigeria: A critical appraisal. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 23(1), 112–129.
Afolabi, C. Y. (2022). Teacher quality and educational outcomes in Nigeria: A systematic review, 2015–2022. Africa Education Review, 19(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2022.1123456
African Union.(2016). Continental education strategy for Africa 2016–2025 (CESA 16-25).African Union Commission.
Ajayi, I. A., &Adeyemi, T. O. (2023). System misalignment in Nigerian education governance: The federal-state-local nexus. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(2), 289–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221109876
Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. National Bureau of Economic Research.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Buchberger, F., Campos, B. P., Kallos, D., & Stephenson, J. (Eds.).(2000). Green paper on teacher education in Europe. Thematic Network on Teacher Education in Europe.
Budgit. (2024). State of states report 2024: Budget allocation and education expenditure in Nigerian states. Budgit Foundation.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
Daniel, J., &Nwachukwu, C. (2023). Colleges of education in Kogi and Kwara states: Capacity assessment and NCCE minimum standards compliance. Nigerian Journal of Educational Administration, 15(1), 78–99.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice? European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2017.1315399
Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).(2021). National Development Plan 2021–2025 (Vol.I). Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
Federal Ministry of Education (FME).(2020). National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). Teachers College Press.
Hanushek, E. A. (2011). The economic value of higher teacher quality. Economics of Education Review, 30(3), 466–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.12.006
Ibrahim, Y., & Suleiman, A. (2021). Teacher recruitment and retention in rural Nasarawa State: Evidence from the classroom. African Journal of Education and Practice, 7(2), 44–62.
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (2024). Nigeria internal displacement report: North-Central focus. IDMC.
Mincer, J. (1974).Schooling, experience, and earnings. National Bureau of Economic Research.
Musa, B., &Aliyu, K. (2022).Farmer-herder conflict and school disruption in Benue State, Nigeria. Conflict and Education, 2(1), 22–40.
National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).(2022). NCE minimum standards for all programmes (Revised edition).NCCE Press.
National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE). (2024). Institutional performance review: Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria. NCCE.
National Communications Commission (NCC). (2025). Telecom subscriber data and network coverage statistics Q1 2025.NCC.
National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Nigeria provisional census figures and school census 2022/2023.NPC.
National Teachers' Institute (NTI).(2024). Annual report on distance education programme enrolment and completion 2023–2024.NTI.
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). (2021). Curriculum reform for sustainable development: Mainstreaming SDGs in Nigerian school curricula. NERDC.
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).(2024). ICT infrastructure audit of Nigerian schools 2023.NERDC.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2011). Creating capabilities: The human development approach.Harvard University Press.
OECD. (2023). Education at a glance 2023: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/e13bef63-en
Ogundipe, T., &Olaleye, B. (2022).Civil society and SDG accountability in Nigerian education governance. Development in Practice, 32(4), 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2022.2045678
Ojo, E., &Olanipekun, D. (2023). Teachers' education governance in Nigeria: Fragmentation, coordination failures, and SDG 4 progress. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 18(2), 1–22.
Okeke, C., &Ugwu, N. (2022). School-based management committees and teacher attendance in Plateau State: An empirical assessment. Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 14(1), 12–24.
Omofonmwan, S. I., &Odia, L. O. (2020). Education system in Nigeria: Problems and prospects. Journal of Social Science, 12(1), 81–86.
Schultz, T. W. (1961). Investment in human capital. American Economic Review, 51(1), 1–17.
SDGs Nigeria. (2017). Nigeria and the Sustainable Development Goals: Taking stock, moving forward. Office of the Senior Special Adviser on SDGs.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom.Oxford University Press.
Teddlie, C., &Tashakkori, A. (2009).Foundations of mixed methods research.Sage.
Tikly, L., & Barrett, A. M. (2011).Social justice, capabilities and the quality of education in low income countries. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2010.06.001
UNESCO. (2016). Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2020a). Achieving SDG 4 targets: What do we know and what more needs to be done? UNESCO GEM Report Policy Papers.
UNESCO. (2020b). Teacher policy development guide: Summary. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2022). Global education monitoring report 2022: Reimagining our futures together — A new social contract for education. UNESCO.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). (2023). Sub-Saharan Africa teacher gap: Data and trends 2023. UIS.
UNICEF Nigeria. (2023). Education in Nigeria: Annual country report 2023. UNICEF.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/70/1). United Nations General Assembly.
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). (2024). Annual report and state of basic education in Nigeria 2024.UBEC.
Walker, M. (2006). Higher education pedagogies: A capabilities approach. Open University Press.
Yusuf, A., &Balogun, M. T. (2020). Distance learning and in-service teacher upgrading: An evaluation of NTI's NCE programme in North-Central Nigeria. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 35(3), 271–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2019.1629696
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ogunshina Rhoda
ISSN (PRINT): 2734 - 2522
ISSN (ONLINE): 2734 - 2514
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.