Each academic term in Nigeria begins with new faces in classrooms, not just among pupils, but often among teachers as well. While parents may wonder why their child’s favourite mathematics or literature teacher has left without notice, school owners quietly grapple with a persistent crisis: retaining teachers. In the country’s sprawling private education sector, Nigeria accounted for 5.4 million students in priavte school in 2019, regardless, teacher turnover is an endemic challenge, silently undermining the very quality that many schools market as their unique selling point.
Teacher retention in Nigeria’s private schools is not merely about keeping staff on the payroll; it is about creating stability in a sector where continuity of instruction, relationships, and pedagogy is essential for sustained academic success. Yet, countless private schools, ranging from high-fee international academies in Victoria Island to low-cost neighbourhood schools in Agege struggle to keep their teaching staff beyond a few terms. The reasons behind this are neither trivial nor accidental. They reflect a complex web of financial realities, cultural expectations, administrative practices, and shifting generational attitudes towards work.
The Economics of Underappreciation
At the heart of the teacher retention crisis lies the uncomfortable truth about pay. The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) reported in 2024 that a significant percentage of private school teachers earn below ₦50,000 monthly, with many in low-cost schools surviving on less than ₦25,000. For young graduates, this often barely covers transport and living expenses in cities like Lagos or Abuja, let alone supports a family or personal growth. High-end private schools may offer salaries ranging from ₦150,000 to ₦300,000, but these are the exceptions, not the rule.
When teachers are underpaid, their loyalty is bought only as long as they have no better options. Many are quick to jump ship when a government teaching appointment or a better-paying private school opportunity arises. For a sector that markets itself on premium quality and personalised attention, this constant haemorrhaging of staff erodes trust, both within the profession and with parents.
Workload Without Support
Low pay alone does not tell the full story. The exodus is also fuelled by unsustainable workloads coupled with unrealistic expectations. Private school teachers often double as marketers, social media content creators, extracurricular coaches, or even class fundraisers. In a competitive market where parents demand not just academic excellence but also glitzy events, endless assessments, and daily WhatsApp updates, teachers find themselves stretched thin.
Many private school teachers are known for working well beyond contracted hours, often with no overtime compensation. Marking homework late at night, preparing elaborate PowerPoint lessons for modern classrooms, and attending weekend school events become the norm. Burnout is not just likely; it is inevitable.
The Missing Ladder: Career Growth and Development
Unlike corporate environments where promotion pathways and skill-based incentives exist, many private schools operate with flat hierarchies. A teacher may spend five years teaching English in a secondary school and still hold the same title, with no clear roadmap to becoming a head of department, curriculum lead, or even moving into school administration.
Professional development is another gaping hole. While some elite private schools invest in periodic training, international workshops, or Cambridge-certified teacher programmes, a majority offer little beyond the occasional in-house seminar. Teachers who are passionate about their craft and yearn to stay current with modern pedagogy often find themselves footing the bill for personal growth, a cost many cannot afford.
Culture of Distrust and Over-Scrutiny
One of the less discussed factors is the culture within many private school, particularly family-owned or proprietor-driven institutions where teachers are often treated less as professionals and more as hired hands. Surveillance cameras in classrooms, micromanagement from school owners, and the constant fear of termination with little notice create an environment where teachers feel neither respected nor secure.
Retention is not simply a financial equation; it is emotional as well. Teachers who feel their voices are unheard, their innovations dismissed, or their dignity undermined are more likely to leave even for a similar or lower salary elsewhere just to regain a sense of autonomy.
Competition and the “Stopgap Mentality”
A striking pattern is that many young teachers in private schools do not view their role as a long-term career. For some, teaching is a temporary stopgap while awaiting government employment, migrating abroad, or completing further studies. With the UK’s QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) pathway attracting thousands of Nigerian teachers annually, over 4,500 teaching-related skilled visas were issued to Nigerians in 2024 alone private schools have become a training ground for exportable talent. Retention thus becomes doubly difficult: schools are investing in staff who often already have one foot out the door.
The Human Cost of High Turnover
The consequences of this constant turnover extend far beyond school balance sheets. For pupils, especially in primary and early secondary school, a revolving door of teachers disrupts learning continuity. Studies from UNESCO highlight that students perform better and show higher emotional stability in environments where teacher-student relationships are sustained over multiple years.
Parents, too, lose confidence in schools where their child’s favourite teacher vanishes without explanation. In the long run, this undermines brand reputation, enrolment numbers, and the very foundation of trust that private schools rely on.
Pathways to Stability: What Needs to Change
Addressing teacher retention in Nigerian private schools is neither quick nor cheap, but it is essential. It begins with rethinking the economics, offering competitive salaries that match the rising cost of living and reflect the critical role teachers play in shaping futures. It also demands a cultural shift: treating teachers as partners in a school’s mission rather than disposable workers.
Investments in structured career progression, funded professional development, and supportive working conditions can turn teaching from a transient job into a meaningful career. Even in low-cost private schools, transparent communication, recognition schemes, and a culture of respect can make the difference between a teacher staying three terms and one staying three years.
The struggle with retention is a mirror to the broader state of education in Nigeria, a system that often expects teachers to deliver miracles while giving them crumbs. Until private schools confront this paradox with honesty and courage, the cycle of recruitment, resignation, and replacement will continue to rob pupils of the stability they deserve.
