NHRC: No Quality Education Without Investment in Teachers, Schools
By Pan Afric Reporters
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Federal and State Governments to urgently increase investment in teachers, schools and learning facilities, warning that Nigeria cannot guarantee the right to quality education without adequately supported teachers and safe, properly equipped schools.
The call was contained in a World Teachers’ Day message issued by the NHRC ahead of the October 5, 2026 commemoration and attributed to the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Chief Tony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN, who is also Nigeria’s Chief Human Rights Officer.
Ojukwu said improving Nigeria’s education system required more than policy commitments, stressing that teacher welfare, professional development and decent working conditions were inseparable from every child’s right to quality education.
He urged governments to prioritise education in planning and budgeting, particularly in rural, underserved and conflict-affected communities where children face greater barriers to learning.
The NHRC Executive Secretary described teachers as indispensable to the realisation of the right to education and the development of a society based on equality, human dignity and respect for human rights.
He called for regular professional training, timely payment of salaries, decent working conditions, manageable workloads and adequate teaching resources for teachers, warning that overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities and poor learning environments ultimately undermine the quality of education available to children.
Ojukwu also urged governments to accelerate investment in functional classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, electricity, digital learning infrastructure and disability-inclusive facilities, particularly in communities where educational resources remain inadequate.
The NHRC boss stressed that schools must provide environments free from violence, bullying, discrimination and other forms of abuse, with particular attention given to girls, children with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
He also called on the National Assembly to pass the Safe Schools Bill without further delay, stressing that the safety of learners and teachers must remain central to efforts to improve access to education.
According to Ojukwu, 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 their working conditions.
“Investing in teachers is investing in the right to education and future of the country. A nation cannot guarantee quality education while its teachers are inadequately supported and its schools remain unsafe or poorly equipped,” Ojukwu said.
He added that government must move beyond policy declarations and translate education commitments and budgetary allocations into tangible improvements in classrooms and in the lives of teachers and learners.
“Government must translate education commitments and budgetary allocations into visible improvements in classrooms and in the lives of teachers and learners,” he said.
The NHRC further called on education authorities, school administrators, parents and communities to take concrete steps towards making quality, inclusive and safe education accessible to every Nigerian child.
The Commission’s position comes as Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Teachers’ Day 2026, with renewed attention on the role of teachers in advancing education, human development and the protection of children’s rights.
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