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World Teachers’ Day: Orji Calls for Dignity, Better Opportunities for Teachers
Hon. Orji Kanu Emmanuel, National President of the Association for Formidable Educational Development, AFED, has called for greater recognition, improved working conditions and stronger professional development opportunities for teachers as Nigeria joins the world to commemorate the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.
Orji, who is also the ADC candidate for the Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, described teachers as “nation builders”, stressing that the quality of education available to children would significantly shape Nigeria’s future.
In a statement marking the annual celebration, Orji said teachers deserved appreciation for their role in shaping minds, nurturing talents and preparing young people for the future.
The 2026 global theme is “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures,” while Nigeria’s theme is “Transforming the Teaching Profession for Africa’s Future.”
Orji, a veteran teacher, school proprietor and educationist, said his experience working with educators had given him firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices made by teachers across the country.
He said teachers continued to face challenges including inadequate remuneration, limited opportunities for professional development, poor working conditions and insufficient recognition.
“This must change,” he said, calling for sustained investment in teachers and the education system.
As National President of AFED, the umbrella body of low-cost schools in Nigeria, Orji said he had worked with thousands of educators and school proprietors and pursued initiatives aimed at strengthening both teachers and learners.
He cited AFED’s partnership with Buckingham University, which created opportunities for teachers to undertake free professional certification programmes. Participants, he added, were also provided with tablets to support their studies and access to educational resources.
Orji said he had also worked to attract grants and other opportunities for educational entrepreneurs, stressing that strengthening school proprietors and educators would ultimately strengthen the wider education system.
Beyond teachers, he said his commitment to children had included direct scholarship interventions through which more than 1,000 Nigerian children had benefited, while advocacy, partnerships and humanitarian initiatives had extended scholarship and educational support to more than one million other children.
According to him, the experience has strengthened his conviction that no child should be denied quality education because of the financial circumstances of the family.
“Education must not become a privilege reserved for those who can afford it. It must remain one of the strongest instruments for breaking the cycle of poverty and creating opportunity,” he said.
Orji said if elected to represent Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, he would bring his experience in education into public service by advocating policies that improve conditions for teachers and expand access to quality education.
He said his priorities would include stronger support for teachers, professional development, improved learning conditions, scholarships, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and youth empowerment.
“Education should not end with obtaining a certificate. It should equip young people to become productive, self-reliant and confident contributors to society,” he said.
The educationist said young people in Arochukwu/Ohafia possessed significant talent and potential, but many required access to opportunities that could enable them to develop their abilities.
“Our constituency is blessed with intelligent and talented young people. What many of them need is not pity, but opportunity,” he said.
Orji urged teachers to continue to see themselves as critical partners in nation-building, while calling on parents and other stakeholders to support efforts to improve education.
“To our teachers, I say: we see you, we value you and we appreciate your sacrifices,” he said.
He added that the future of Nigeria was being shaped in classrooms across the country.
“If we get education right, we will get much of Nigeria right,” Orji said.
He congratulated teachers, educators and school proprietors across Nigeria on the occasion and called for a renewed commitment to building an education system where teachers can teach with dignity and every child can learn with hope.
