Seeking Alternative Funding to Sustain FTS Beyond 2023

Despite the positive impact of the Federal Teachers’ Scheme on primary education in the country, the Universal Basic Education Commission has expressed uncertainty over its existence beyond 2023, following the withdrawal of funding by the National Assembly. The commission is currently in talks with stakeholders on new funding sources to sustain the initiative. Uchechukwu Nnaike reports

The Federal Teachers’ Scheme (FTS) is a two-year intervention programme established by the federal government in 2006 to assist states in addressing the shortage of teachers at the basic education level.

The scheme, implemented by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), provides employment opportunities for qualified and unemployed youths interested in teaching in public primary schools.

The participants may not possess any experience in teaching. The teachers currently receive N30,000 monthly.

According to UBEC, the government’s underfunding of the scheme led to reducing the number of teachers from 40,000 in 2006 to 5,000 in 2016. It said 3,962 teachers enrolled in 2020.

During the second quarterly national monitoring of participants of the 2020/2021 FTS in Lagos, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, stated that the budget for 2021 was N1.9 billion. But the National Assembly did not make any allocation for the scheme this year.

The event, held at the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), was also attended by some participants of the scheme and headteachers.

“Not that we don’t have the money to pay salaries up to the end of the year, but there is no additional funding provided by the National Assembly for the 2023 aspect of the programme,” he stated.

Bobboyi added that the withdrawal of funding was in line with the new policy of the legislators that any agency receiving statutory funds cannot receive any other money from another source. The FTS funding comes from SDG Funds, he said.

“The engagement of the next batch from January 2023 will be a bit problematic unless we can find another source of funding,” he further mentioned.

Thus he said UBEC is seeking to design another programme, hence the engagement with stakeholders to analyse the challenges and find new areas of focus, particularly on STEM teachers, that can facilitate national development.
On the shortage of teachers in public schools, Bobboyi stated that many teachers retired during the COVID-19 period and were not replaced. He disclosed that the number of teachers in public schools had reduced nationally, unlike private schools currently getting more teachers. For instance, he said there are schools in some parts of the country with one teacher.

Sharing their experiences and challenges on the job, the participants commended the federal government for the initiative and called for an upward review of the monthly allowance.

They also stated that the increasing enrolment rate in Lagos schools has further widened the student-teacher ratio, leading to overcrowded classrooms. So the schools urgently need more teachers, classrooms and other facilities.
They also expressed fears of returning to the labour market at the end of the programme and appealed to the state government to absorb them into the teaching force.

The Chairman of Lagos SUBEB, Wahab Alawiye-King, said in terms of absorbing the FTS participants, the state wants to ensure that every child’s potential is realised.​

“We want teachers who are not only academically qualified but professionally qualified. That is why we have a special system of employment,” Alawiye-King explained.

In the last employment, he said the state reserved five per cent for those under the special category, and that is where N-Power, FTS and community teachers fall into. He said though the FTS participants are on the priority list for employment, they need to satisfy other criteria, including professional teachers.

While commending UBEC for its intervention, he described education as a social good whose demand outweighs the supply.

“There must be intervention from time to time, and if those interventions are not properly coordinated, if they are not monitored, it can lead to further deterioration and chaos in the system,” he pointed out. “That is why we want to thank you for providing structured and coordinated intervention which has improved basic education in the country.”

He also stressed adequate monitoring for a successful, effective and efficient programme.

Some of the headteachers called on the government to absorb the FTS participants for their exceptional service. They also called for capacity building workshops and seminars for the FTS participants.