Beyond First Class Degree: Why Nigeria Must Put Professionally Trained Teachers in Every Classroom

Rethinking What It Means to Be Qualified to Teach

On 19 October 2026, Alex Onyia (@winexviv) shared a series of recommendations on X aimed at improving the teaching profession in Nigeria. His proposals include restricting entry into teaching to First Class and Second Class Upper graduates, setting a minimum starting salary of ₦500,000 per month, requiring professional qualification examinations every two years, establishing an Education Bank to provide teachers with low-interest loans, and restoring the prestige of teaching.

These recommendations have generated an important conversation about teacher quality, remuneration and professional recognition.

I agree with the need to improve teachers’ welfare, strengthen professional standards and restore the dignity of teaching. However, I disagree with the proposal to restrict entry into the profession to graduates with First Class and Second Class Upper degrees.

My concern goes beyond degree classification. It addresses a more fundamental question: Should someone be allowed to teach simply because they hold a degree, or should professional teacher preparation, certification and licensing be essential requirements?

In my view, the latter is the more sustainable approach.

Nigeria does not only need graduates with impressive academic records in its classrooms. It needs competent, professionally prepared and properly licensed teachers who understand how children learn and how to help them succeed.

1. Academic Excellence Is Not the Same as Teaching Competence

A First Class degree is a commendable academic achievement. It demonstrates strong performance within a particular programme of study. However, academic excellence alone does not establish that a person possesses the knowledge and skills required to teach effectively.

Knowing mathematics is different from knowing how to teach mathematics to a child who struggles with numbers. Understanding biology is different from knowing how to explain complex biological processes to learners with different levels of prior knowledge.

Similarly, a graduate might understand a subject thoroughly but struggle to explain it clearly, manage a classroom, assess learning difficulties or adapt instruction to meet learners’ needs.

Teaching involves several specialised competencies, including:

• Understanding child development and how people learn.
• Designing lessons around clearly defined learning objectives.
• Selecting appropriate instructional strategies and learning resources.
• Managing classrooms and creating supportive learning environments.
• Assessing learning and providing meaningful feedback.
• Identifying differences in learners’ abilities and educational needs.
• Using technology effectively to support teaching and learning.
• Applying professional ethics and safeguarding learners.

These competencies do not automatically follow from obtaining a good degree.

A Second Class Lower graduate who has received rigorous professional teacher education, demonstrated effective teaching practice and obtained the required professional licence could be better prepared for the classroom than a First Class graduate who has never studied pedagogy.

This is why recruitment should not depend exclusively on degree classification.

The central question should not be whether a candidate graduated with First Class. It should be whether the candidate has the subject knowledge, professional preparation and demonstrated competence required to teach.

Academic performance should remain one consideration in recruitment, but it should not replace professional standards.

2. Enough of the Idea That Anyone Can Teach

One of the most persistent misconceptions in education is that anyone who understands a subject can teach it.

This assumption reduces teaching to the simple transmission of information. In reality, teaching is a complex professional activity that requires an understanding of both the subject and the learner.

A person might be highly knowledgeable in chemistry but lack the skills to teach chemistry to secondary school students. Another person might be an excellent software developer but lack the pedagogical preparation needed to teach programming to beginners.

The difference lies in professional preparation.

A teacher must understand how to transform subject knowledge into meaningful learning experiences. This involves selecting suitable examples, anticipating misconceptions, sequencing content, engaging learners, assessing understanding and adjusting instruction when learners struggle.

These are not minor additions to subject knowledge. They are central to effective teaching.

Consider a learner who repeatedly fails to understand a particular mathematical concept. A knowledgeable but unprepared instructor might repeat the same explanation more loudly or assign additional exercises. A professionally trained teacher is more likely to investigate the source of the difficulty, identify the learner's misconception and introduce an alternative explanation or representation.

The distinction is significant.

Our children deserve teachers who understand not only what they teach but also how to teach it effectively.

Everyone might have something to teach, but not everyone is automatically qualified to practise as a professional teacher.

3. Teacher Education Should Be a Serious Entry Requirement

In professions such as medicine and law, academic knowledge alone is not considered sufficient preparation for independent professional practice. Relevant professional training, supervised experience and regulatory requirements also matter.

Teaching deserves the same seriousness.

A person who wants to become a medical doctor must follow the prescribed medical education and licensing pathway. A law graduate must satisfy the applicable professional requirements before practising as a barrister.

Why should the profession responsible for preparing future doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and other professionals be treated as though professional preparation is optional?

Nigeria already has a policy and regulatory framework that recognises the importance of teacher preparation.

The National Policy on Education states that teachers should be professionally trained. It also identifies the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) as the body responsible for regulating the teaching profession and provides for the registration of professionally qualified teachers.

The TRCN's official website likewise identifies registration, licensing, professional standards and continuing professional development among its responsibilities.

Sources: National Policy on Education and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply to introduce new ideas. It is to ensure that existing professional expectations are implemented consistently, supported adequately and enforced fairly.

My position is straightforward: Anyone entering the teaching profession should possess an approved teaching qualification and satisfy the applicable professional certification and licensing requirements.

For graduates of other disciplines who wish to teach, there should be recognised pathways to acquire the required professional preparation. A graduate of computer science, physics, economics or another discipline should not be permanently excluded from teaching merely because their first degree was not in education.

However, subject expertise should not be treated as a substitute for pedagogical competence. Such graduates should complete an approved professional teacher education pathway and meet the relevant licensing requirements before being recognised as qualified teachers.

This approach protects professional standards without unnecessarily restricting the pool of talented people who could become excellent teachers.

4. Our Children Are Not Experimental Materials

The consequences of poor teaching extend far beyond a single classroom.

Weak foundational learning can affect a child's ability to read, write, calculate, reason, solve problems and develop confidence in learning. Persistent gaps can become more difficult to address as learners progress through school.

When teachers lack adequate preparation, learners risk receiving instruction that does not address their needs. Misconceptions can go unnoticed, assessment results can be misinterpreted, and children who require additional support can be left behind.

This does not mean every professionally trained teacher will automatically be effective or that every untrained person will necessarily teach poorly. It means that professional preparation provides an essential foundation that should not be left to chance.

Teacher education, supervised teaching practice, professional assessment and licensing help establish a baseline of competence. They must be supported by effective school leadership, appropriate teaching resources and continuous professional development.

We should not wait until problems emerge in the classroom before taking teacher preparation seriously.

The welfare and educational development of children demand that we treat teaching as a profession requiring specialised preparation, not as an experiment in which anyone with a degree is given a classroom.

5. A ₦500,000 Starting Salary: An Important Conversation

Alex Onyia's proposal that teachers should earn a minimum starting salary of ₦500,000 per month raises a crucial issue: teacher remuneration.

It is difficult to build a respected and attractive profession when the people responsible for educating future generations struggle with inadequate compensation, poor working conditions and limited career opportunities.

Competitive salaries could help attract talented candidates, improve retention and demonstrate that society values the work teachers do. Better remuneration should also be accompanied by transparent recruitment, effective performance support and fair opportunities for career advancement.

However, salary reform requires careful planning.

Policymakers must consider the cost of living, differences between public and private school funding, government revenue, the number of teachers employed and the financial capacity of education authorities. A salary policy that is announced but not sustainably funded will fail to deliver its intended benefits.

The ₦500,000 proposal should therefore be treated as a serious policy recommendation requiring financial analysis, implementation planning and clear funding commitments.

The broader principle remains important: teachers should receive compensation that reflects their qualifications, responsibilities, professional competence and contribution to society.

We cannot consistently demand excellence from teachers while neglecting the conditions that enable them to deliver it.

6. Professional Examinations Every Two Years: Assessment Must Lead to Improvement

Onyia also proposes that teachers should take professional qualification examinations every two years.

The underlying principle is worth considering. Teaching is not a profession in which learning ends on the day a qualification is obtained. Curricula change, technologies evolve, research advances and learners' needs become more diverse.

Teachers should therefore continue developing throughout their careers.

However, requiring teachers to sit for a high-stakes examination every two years is not necessarily the only or the best way to achieve this objective.

A more comprehensive approach would combine regular professional development with periodic assessments of professional competence.

Such a framework could include:

• Accredited continuing professional development programmes.
• Regular updates in subject knowledge and teaching methods.
• Training in educational technology and responsible AI use.
• Classroom observation and constructive feedback.
• Evidence of professional practice and learner-support strategies.
• Periodic competency assessments where appropriate.
• Clear procedures for professional renewal and support.

The purpose should be to improve teaching, not merely to increase the number of examinations teachers must pass.

Professional assessment should identify areas for improvement and provide opportunities for teachers to strengthen their practice. Where a teacher struggles to meet required standards, there should be a fair process for remediation and reassessment.

A strong profession maintains its standards while helping its members meet them.

7. An Education Bank Could Strengthen Teacher Welfare

The proposal for an Education Bank is another idea worthy of detailed consideration.

Teachers, like other professionals, need access to housing, transportation and other essential financial services. Where affordable credit is unavailable, these needs can create considerable financial pressure.

An appropriately designed Education Bank or dedicated teacher financing scheme could provide access to reasonably priced loans for home ownership, vehicle financing, professional development and other legitimate needs.

For such an initiative to succeed, it would need transparent eligibility criteria, sustainable funding, responsible lending practices and effective safeguards against political interference.

Government partnerships with established financial institutions could also be explored as an alternative to creating an entirely new bank.

The goal should be to make affordable and reliable financial services accessible to teachers without exposing them to unsustainable debt.

Teacher welfare is not a distraction from educational quality. It is one of the conditions that helps sustain a stable, motivated and committed teaching workforce.

8. Restoring the Prestige of Teaching Requires More Than Public Praise

Teaching should be one of the most respected professions in Nigeria. Yet respect cannot be established through public statements alone.

Professional prestige grows when a profession maintains clear entry standards, recognises excellence, provides opportunities for advancement and holds its members accountable to ethical and professional expectations.

For teaching, this requires a combination of reforms:

First, strengthen professional entry standards. Ensure that teachers possess appropriate subject knowledge, pedagogical preparation and valid professional credentials.

Second, improve remuneration and working conditions. Teachers need appropriate salaries, adequate learning resources, manageable workloads and supportive leadership.

Third, create clear career pathways. Teachers should have opportunities to progress into senior teaching, instructional leadership, curriculum development, educational technology, research and school administration.

Fourth, reward professional excellence. Recognition should reflect demonstrated teaching competence, commitment to learners, innovation and contributions to educational improvement.

Fifth, enforce professional accountability fairly. Teachers should be supported in meeting professional standards, while misconduct and persistent professional negligence should be addressed through transparent procedures.

When society sees teaching as a career with meaningful professional standards, opportunities for growth and adequate rewards, more talented people are likely to consider it a worthwhile long-term profession.

9. What Nigeria Should Prioritise

The discussion surrounding Onyia's recommendations provides an opportunity to reconsider how teachers are recruited, prepared, supported and evaluated.

A sustainable reform agenda should prioritise the following actions.

1. Make professional teacher preparation non-negotiable. Require recognised teaching qualifications or approved professional conversion pathways for entrants from other disciplines.
2. Enforce certification and licensing requirements. Strengthen compliance with applicable TRCN requirements and improve verification of teachers' professional credentials.
3. Recruit on competence, not degree classification alone. Consider subject knowledge, professional preparation, demonstrated teaching ability, ethical conduct and relevant experience.
4. Strengthen supervised teaching practice. Give prospective teachers meaningful classroom experience under the guidance of qualified and experienced professionals.
5. Invest in continuous professional development. Provide regular, accessible and relevant training, including digital pedagogy, assessment, inclusive education and emerging instructional technologies.
6. Improve salaries and welfare. Develop sustainable remuneration policies, explore affordable financing schemes and improve working conditions across the education sector.
7. Establish fair performance and career progression systems. Assess teachers against clear professional standards and provide support, recognition and advancement opportunities.
8. Monitor implementation and outcomes. Publish clear information on recruitment, licensing, professional development, teacher welfare and educational improvement.

These measures would address the substance of Onyia's recommendations while placing professional competence at the centre of teacher recruitment and development.

Conclusion: A Degree Is Not a Teaching Licence

Alex Onyia has raised important questions about the quality, welfare and status of teachers in Nigeria. His recommendations deserve serious discussion, particularly the need to improve remuneration, strengthen professional development and restore respect for the profession.

However, restricting teaching to First Class and Second Class Upper graduates is not the reform I would prioritise.

Nigeria needs academically capable teachers, but it also needs teachers who have received professional preparation, demonstrated competence and satisfied the required certification and licensing standards.

A degree in a subject demonstrates academic achievement. It does not, on its own, demonstrate professional teaching competence.

We must move beyond the assumption that anyone who knows a subject is automatically qualified to teach it.

If you want to teach, pursue the appropriate professional preparation. If you are already teaching without a recognised teaching qualification, take the available approved pathway to professional certification and licensing. If you are responsible for recruiting teachers, make professional competence a central requirement.

Our education leaders must recognise that the quality of teaching is too important to be left to assumptions.

The issue is not whether a teacher graduated with First Class or Second Class Upper. The issue is whether that teacher is professionally prepared, competent, ethical and qualified to educate our children.

We must professionalise teaching, protect learners and give teachers the support and respect they deserve.

The future of Nigeria depends, in part, on the quality of education we provide today. And the quality of that education depends significantly on the people we entrust with our classrooms.