No Teacher in Lagos Earns Below ?150,000 — LASUED VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Professor Bidemi Lafiaji-Okuneye, has said that no teacher in Lagos State earns less than ?150,000 monthly.

She disclosed this on Monday during an event marking the 2025 World Teachers’ Day, themed “Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession,” held at the university’s Ijanikin campus.

Professor Lafiaji-Okuneye emphasized that teachers’ welfare remains central to improving educational quality, noting that underpaying educators weakens the entire system.

“When teachers are undervalued, underpaid, and unsupported, the entire educational edifice begins to crack. This reality often leads to brain drain, low morale, and a reduced appeal of the profession to bright young minds,” she said.

She described Lagos as one of the few states maintaining a strong and competitive salary structure for teachers.

“In Lagos State, I can tell you authoritatively that we are building our teachers’ world, and no teacher goes home with less than ?150,000. But we can do better,” she added.

State of the Profession

While commending teachers for their commitment, the Vice-Chancellor identified persistent challenges in the profession, including poor working conditions, limited professional development opportunities, and a lack of societal recognition.

She called for continued reforms to uplift the teaching profession and urged increased investment in education infrastructure.

“The Lagos State Government, in partnership with TETFund and other agencies, could allocate 20% of its annual education budget to upgrading classroom infrastructure, providing digital learning tools, and establishing science and technology laboratories in public schools from the 2026 fiscal year,” she proposed.

Background

In August, the Federal Ministry of Education, under the supervision of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), launched a digital portal for teachers’ registration, licensing, and certification.

As part of ongoing reforms, the TRCN streamlined its Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) from 23 subjects to five core areas: foundational mathematics, literacy, pedagogy, digital literacy, and safeguarding.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, also announced that non-education graduates with at least one year of classroom experience can qualify through an abridged certification programme managed by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI).