An education advocate and civil society member, Yusuf Ishaku Goje, has warned that Kaduna State risks losing its demographic dividend if urgent steps are not taken to address the worsening shortage of teachers in public primary schools across the state.
Goje expressed the concern while commenting on the state of basic education in Kaduna, citing findings from the 2025 Annual School Census, which he said revealed deep structural gaps capable of undermining learning outcomes and long-term economic growth.
He said the challenge is more acute in core subjects, particularly Mathematics and English Language, where shortages have resulted in ratios of 590 pupils to one Mathematics teacher and 428 pupils to one English teacher, respectively.
Goje said such figures represent a major setback to the state’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on inclusive, equitable and quality education for all children.
He also expressed concern over delays in implementing the State Basic Education Manpower Plan (2025–2028), which mandates the recruitment of 10,000 teachers by 2029, beginning with an initial intake of 2,000 teachers in 2025.
According to him, as of the fourth quarter of 2025, there is no clear public indication that the first phase of the recruitment has been completed, raising questions about adherence to the timelines set out in the plan.