An English teacher in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ameenullahi Abdullahi, has called attention to the low wages paid to many private-school teachers and questioned whether salaries of about ₦25,000 to ₦40,000 can adequately support educators facing the rising cost of living.
Abdullahi raised the concern in a public appeal on Facebook directed at private-school owners where he drew a link between the fees charged by schools and the compensation received by the teachers responsible for delivering classroom instruction.
He noted that some parents pay between ₦60,000 and ₦150,000 per term for their children’s education. In his assessment, the amount collected from multiple pupils across several classes should prompt school proprietors to examine how much of their income is channelled towards the people providing daily teaching and care.
Abdullahi said teachers often arrive early, spend long hours managing classrooms, and handle several responsibilities beyond delivering lessons. These include preparing teaching materials, marking pupils’ work, and responding to the emotional and behavioural needs of children.
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He particularly pinpointed the demands placed on teachers of toddlers and young pupils, emphasising the fact that such work requires sustained physical, mental, and emotional effort.
Abdullahi questioned the basis for fixing some teachers’ monthly earnings at about ₦50,000 and asked school proprietors to consider whether they themselves could meet basic obligations on such an income.
“Can I survive on this amount in today’s Nigeria?” he asked, pointing to expenses such as transport, accommodation, food, household bills and family responsibilities.
The teacher said inadequate remuneration could also affect the quality of education when educators are preoccupied with financial difficulties outside the classroom. He explained that a teacher struggling to meet basic needs carries pressures that can extend into professional responsibilities.
Abdullahi, however, framed his intervention as a call for fairness rather than an indictment of private-school proprietors. He said schools that experience financial growth should consider allowing the teachers contributing to that success to share in its benefits.
“Growth should not be one-sided,” he said.
Alongside his appeal to school owners, Abdullahi encouraged teachers to strengthen their professional value through continuous learning. He identified areas such as phonics, mathematics, reading, parenting, and classroom management as skills teachers could develop and share beyond their conventional employment.
He also encouraged educators to use digital platforms to showcase their knowledge. He said a smartphone and useful expertise could provide a starting point for building an independent professional presence.
Abdullahi said teachers should not measure their worth solely by their current salaries, particularly where those earnings fail to reflect the range of responsibilities they undertake.
He expressed appreciation to teachers who educate, nurture, and care for children daily, while calling on private-school proprietors to improve staff welfare where their resources permit.
From Abdullahi’s standpoint, the issue is ultimately tied to the purpose of education itself. He said schools have a commercial dimension, but their responsibility to learners and the people entrusted with educating them should also shape decisions about staff remuneration.
