The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, Angela Ajala, has warned that Nigeria risks undermining its future if it continues to neglect teacher education.

Speaking in Abuja during a courtesy visit by members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria, Ajala said the quality of teachers determines the quality of every other profession in the country.

“If we get it wrong with a teacher, just know that Nigeria is finished. Every engineer, doctor, scientist, entrepreneur, politician and leader passes through the hands of a teacher. Teacher education lies at the heart of national development,” she said.

Ajala cautioned that the persistent undervaluing of the teaching profession has deep social consequences, noting that the damage done by poorly trained or demotivated teachers can last a lifetime.

“You can fix a faulty car. But when a teacher damages a child in the classroom, that damage can last a lifetime. Those children become the future professionals and leaders of society,” she stated.

She lamented the erosion of respect for teachers, recalling a time when the profession commanded high social status.

“Something went wrong along the way. We moved from a society where teachers were highly respected to one where people say, ‘If you have nothing else to do, go and become a teacher.’ That narrative must change,” Ajala said.

The NCCE boss defended recent policy changes affecting admissions into Colleges of Education, including the decision to drop the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as a compulsory entry requirement.

“What is UTME? It is a two-hour examination. It is not an achievement test. Decisions like these were not taken arbitrarily; they were based on evidence, data and projections about the future of teacher education in Nigeria,” she explained.

Ajala warned of a looming shortage of teachers, revealing that some colleges now struggle to attract even a few dozen students across multiple programmes, with attrition rates rising.

She said ongoing reforms are designed to make Colleges of Education more attractive and their graduates globally competitive, including opportunities for multiple qualifications and internationally relevant skills.

According to her, curriculum reviews are aligning teacher training with global best practices, and Nigeria’s frameworks compare favourably with those of countries often cited as models, such as Finland and Singapore, if properly implemented.

Ajala urged the media to act as partners in reform, telling the ECAN delegation that their reporting can reshape public perception, influence policy and restore prestige to the teaching profession.