The education received in secondary school is the foundation built on at the tertiary institutions. While teachers are very valuable, their salary is quite low when compared to other professions in Nigeria. It is quite a shame that the education sector is not given the attention it deserves in Nigeria. The education sector is one of the least recognized in the Nigerian, this means people working in this sector are one of the least paid in Nigeria.

Countries like Finland, teaching is treated with the utmost respect in both kind and cash and their teachers are well paid. We will be talking about the advantages of teaching in public school in Nigerian and the salary teachers in both private and public schools earn.

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ADVANTAGES OF TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOL OVER PRIVATE SCHOOLS

There are several advantages of teaching in a public school when compared to teaching in a private school. Some of those advantages include job security, retirement plan, less pressure, no delay in salary payment, regular promotion and access to a government loan.

Job Security

It is only in rare cases that a public school teacher losses his or her teaching job. This is because the government rarely sack members of its workforce unless the individual has been incompetent or not qualified. Private schools are for-profit and will sack members of their staff if they running at a loss. There is a lot of bureaucratic flexibility in private owned schools. Also, teachers of public school are active members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, a trade union group that protect the interest of teachers and private school teachers are passive members of this organization.

Retirement Plan

There is a pension scheme for teachers who retire from public school. This is because the government pay pension to its retired staff. Most private schools do not have such plans and the teacher retiring from private schools need to know how he or she will be able to sustain himself after he or she retires from working at a private school.

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Less Pressure

It is known that private school teachers do face a lot of pressure. Such pressure including ensuring students do not fail internal or external examinations. In public school, there is little pressure teachers face. This is one of the reasons why teachers get sacked more in private schools because their students result have not been up to the expectation of the proprietor(s) of the school. While there is much pressure on the private school teachers, it helps them give their best and help their students perform better at examinations than most public schools.

No Delay In Salary Payment

The government rarely owe its staff salary. This is because the government have many sources of income. It is known that several private schools do owe their teachers whenever they face difficult times and can even reduce the salary of their teachers if they do not want to let go of them. The prompt payment of salary makes it easier for public school teachers to plan their monthly expenses without fear of shortcomings in future payments.

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Regular Promotion

Teachers working for the government in public schools are constantly promoted every few years. This help motivates them to do more. In private schools, they rarely get promoted unless a senior teacher leaves and a slot is left to be filled by another private school teacher. For any teacher to be promoted, he has to pass an exam or a test.

Access To Government Loans

Teachers in public school teacher can access government loan without any physical collateral. This is because their job is seen as collateral when applying for a government loan. Whenever a public school teacher needs more money, he can collect government loan and inform the government how he prefers they deduct the loan from his or her salary till the loan repayment is completed. This has enabled public school teachers to be able to get loans at a cheaper price and be able to build houses, buy cars etc faster than a teacher in a private school. Most of these government loans are interest-free and those with interest are cheaper when compared to other places where they can get the loan from.

HOW MUCH TEACHERS EARN IN NIGERIA

⭐How much teachers earn in Nigeria⭐ is dependent on several factors such as the employer of the teacher, years of experience and the rank or the salary level of the teacher. There is a slight variation in the amount that each of the 36 state government in Nigeria pays teachers in their states and likewise teachers whose employer is the Federal Government of Nigeria. The average salary a teacher is paid in Nigeria can be found below.

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HOW MUCH TEACHERS IN PUBLIC/GOVERNMENT-OWNED SCHOOLS EARN

While public school is owned by the government, they do have poor facilities because they are not well maintained by the government. This also applies to the salary of teachers, they tend to be lesser than that of private schools after some time. On average, the take-home salary of a public school teacher is about ₦40,000 to ₦100,000 per month. Young graduates who just enter the teaching service are placed on Level 8. Teachers whose employer is the Federal government do collect an average salary of about ₦48,000 to ₦70,000, while those employed by a state government earn slightly lesser. New teachers whose employer is the Lagos state government and are under the Lagos ministry of education receive an entry-level 8 salary of about ₦46,000 monthly.

How Much Teachers In Private Schools Earn

Privates schools are owned and founded by individuals or organizations and not the government. The amount they pay depends on how much money the school makes. If the students pay a high amount of school fees, the teachers will earn more. A private school teacher earns an average monthly salary of about ₦50,000 to ₦80,000. Private school teachers with at least a Bachelor degree or have also a masters degree take home a minimum salary of ₦50,000 to  ₦80,000. While those with a PhD most times do take home any amount above the ₦80,000 mark.