Education stakeholders have called on the federal government to place teachers’ welfare at the forefront of national development, insisting that no meaningful progress can be achieved in the education sector without improving the condition of educators.
The call was made during the official flag-off of the ‘Let There Be Teachers’ Conference 2026, organised by the Let There Be Teacher Foundation with support from the Federal Ministry of Education.
The event, themed ‘From Record to Reform: A National HOPE Attempt for Teachers,’ brought together policymakers, educators and development partners to discuss practical solutions to the challenges confronting teachers in Nigeria.
Convener of the conference and education advocate, Mr Seyi Anifowose, said the country must move beyond symbolic recognition of teachers and focus on structural reforms that guarantee their welfare, motivation and professional development.
According to him, teachers remain central to nation-building and should be treated as strategic drivers of social and economic progress.
He said, “We are in a space where a lot of people became teachers because they could not get the kind of job they wanted. But thankfully, some of us are here because we want to be teachers.
“We believe that once you can change one child, you are changing a generation.”
Anifowose stressed that the future of the nation was being shaped daily in classrooms, where teachers continue to work under challenging conditions without adequate support.
“Somewhere in Nigeria today, a teacher is standing in front of a class doing the best with what they have. No cameras, no applause, no recognition, just responsibility,” he said.
“That quiet moment, repeated across thousands of classrooms, is where the future of this nation is being decided.”
He revealed plans to mobilise at least 200,000 teachers across the country as part of a nationwide movement aimed at repositioning the profession and strengthening teacher participation in education reforms.
The initiative, he added, would include structured professional development programmes, welfare-focused interventions and a National Teachers’ Professional Pledge scheduled for October 2026.
Executive Director of the initiative, Mrs Sola Adeola, said the conference was designed to amplify the voices of teachers and address longstanding structural issues in the sector.
She noted that education standards could not improve without first restoring dignity to the teaching profession.
“We are here because the Nigerian teacher has been overlooked for far too long, and that must change,” she said.
“Education cannot rise above the quality, visibility and dignity of its teachers.”
Project Director, Rhoda Odigboh, said the movement sought to ensure teachers were included in key education reform discussions and empowered to take ownership of the future of learning in Nigeria.
Representing the Director, College of Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Deputy Director Iyabode Alli, commended the organisers for creating a platform that aligns with national education priorities.
She described the initiative as timely, noting that it addressed the urgent need to improve learning outcomes through better teacher support systems.
“It is a timely intervention that speaks directly to the fundamental truth that no educational system can rise above the quality, motivation and revolution of its teachers,” she said.
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