Buhari plans to increase teacher-pupil ratio in schools

President Muhammadu Buhari says the federal government will recruit more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country.

The president said this on Tuesday when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abuja.

According to Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Buhari said the move will enhance the quality of pupils moving to secondary schools.

‘‘We have created a dedicated platform under the National Social Investment Programme called N-Power Teach, which engages qualified graduates to man the gaps of basic education delivery in Nigeria,” Buhari said.

‘‘These N-Power Teach Volunteers are deployed as teacher assistants in primary schools across Nigeria to support existing teachers.

‘‘The aim of this, and many other Government programmes, is to increase the teacher-student ratio at the primary school level thereby enhancing the quality of students moving to secondary schools.

‘‘I want to take this opportunity to ask all members of Nigeria Union of Teachers to support these programmes and encourage as many qualified and willing graduates to enrol in the teaching profession.

‘‘The foundations of today’s changes can be attributed to teachers who, decades ago, in one way or another, shaped the minds of young men and women who eventually grew to become global innovators and inventors from whose works we are benefiting today. ‘Nigerians, both at home and abroad, are part of this global breed of impactful change agents.”