The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to placing the early childhood workforce at the centre of Nigeria’s human capital development agenda.
Dr Ado Muhammad, Federal Coordinator, Human Capital Development Programme and National Early Childhood Development Focal Point, said this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja to mark the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.
Muhammad called on state and local governments, development partners, private providers and communities to strengthen support for teachers and caregivers working in early childhood settings.
He said the 2026 World Teachers’ Day theme, “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping our Futures,” marked the 60th anniversary of the 1966 International Labour Organisation/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
According to him, teaching faces new pressures, including rapid technological changes, climate disruption, heavy workloads and persistent teacher shortages. He cited UNESCO’s estimate that the world would need 44 million additional teachers by 2030.
Muhammad said Nigeria’s efforts to improve foundational learning must begin with professionals working with children in their earliest years, including pre-primary teachers, caregivers and early childhood educators.
“When we talk about foundational learning, we are talking about the teacher in the pre-primary class, the caregiver in the crèche and the early childhood educator in the community learning centre,” he said.
He said these professionals played a critical role in shaping the first 2,000 days of a child’s life, stressing that their training and welfare were essential to ensuring every Nigerian child was ready by age five.
The coordinator said Nigeria had about 92,000 public and private Early Childhood Care, Development and Education centres, adding that learning quality depended on a workforce that was adequately trained, fairly remunerated, supported and supervised.
He urged state governments to recruit, train and supervise early childhood workers, provide fair salaries, protect professional autonomy and ensure manageable workloads. He also called for dedicated budget lines for early childhood development and stronger measures to address workforce shortages.
Muhammad urged State Universal Basic Education Boards to provide continuous professional development for early childhood teachers, including digital skills and preparedness for climate-related disruptions.
He also called on local governments and Ward Development Committees to recognise early childhood educators as members of ward early-years teams.
The coordinator urged private providers to adhere to national quality and workforce standards, while encouraging development partners, the private sector and communities to align their support behind a common results framework for early childhood development.
“Sixty years after the world agreed on what teachers are owed, our task in Nigeria is to extend that promise to the teachers of our youngest children.
“Standing with teachers means standing with the child,” he said.
Muhammad commended teachers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, particularly those working in early childhood settings, for their dedication to laying a solid foundation for Nigeria’s human capital.
World Teachers’ Day is observed annually on Oct. 5 to recognise the contributions of teachers and promote their rights, professional development and welfare.
