The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Professor Bidemi Lafiaji-Okuneye, has disclosed that teachers in Lagos State earn a minimum monthly salary of N150,000.
She made the statement at an event held at the Ijanikin campus on Monday to mark the 2025 World Teachers’ Day.
The event, themed “Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession,” brought together teachers, education policymakers, and key stakeholders to discuss ways to strengthen the teaching profession. A recent survey highlighted Lagos as one of the few states maintaining a competitive salary structure for teachers.
Professor Lafiaji-Okuneye stressed that teachers’ welfare directly affects educational outcomes, warning that poor compensation undermines the profession’s stability. “When teachers are undervalued, underpaid, and unsupported, the entire educational edifice begins to crack,” she said. “This reality often leads to brain drain, low morale, and a reduced appeal of the profession to bright young minds.”
She reaffirmed the state’s commitment to improving teacher welfare, noting, “In Lagos State, I can tell you authoritatively that we are building our teachers’ world, and no teacher goes home with less than N150,000 in the state. But we can do better.”
Despite the progress, Lafiaji-Okuneye highlighted persistent challenges such as inadequate preparation, poor working conditions, and limited access to professional development. She urged policymakers to prioritize teachers’ welfare and create continuous learning opportunities.
She also called on the Lagos State Government and education funding agencies to boost investment in modern teaching facilities. According to her, allocating 20% of the state’s annual education budget to upgrade classroom infrastructure, provide digital tools, and establish science and technology laboratories should begin in the 2026 fiscal year.
Nationally, teacher reforms continue to advance. The Federal Ministry of Education recently launched a digital portal for teacher registration, licensing, and certification under the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. The ministry also revised its Professional Qualifying Examination to focus on five key areas — literacy, pedagogy, mathematics, digital literacy, and safeguarding.
