By Amaechi Agbo

A university don, Professor Charles Eze has identificated poor recruitment systems, lack of incentives for teachers, dilapidated and dearth of laboratory equipment as the key factors crippling science education in Nigeria.

Professor Eze made the assertion during the 57th Inaugural Lecture of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), held at the university’s main auditorium, Ebeano City,in Enugu State

Delivering the lecture titled “The Teacher Factor in Science Education in Nigerian Secondary Schools: The Imperative of Stakeholder Interventions for Sustainable National Development,” Mr Eze, a distinguished Professor of Science Education, argued that the country’s current educational framework fails to motivate both science teachers and students, ultimately stalling technological advancement.

The former Acting Vice-Chancelor of the University noted that the foundational issues plaguing the sector stem from how science educators are selected and treated.

“The recruitment of science teachers in secondary and tertiary education has often been compromised by political influence and nepotism rather than merit. This has flooded the system with individuals lacking the pedagogical skills or deep subject knowledge required to teach complex scientific concepts.

“Science teachers face poor remuneration, a lack of research grants, and zero specialized allowances. Without competitive incentives, top-tier science graduates continuously shun the teaching profession for more lucrative roles in banking, tech, and oil and gas. You cannot build a technologically advanced nation with demoralized teachers and poorly equipped laboratories. Science education is the bedrock of innovation, but we are treating it as an afterthought.

” I am always shocked each time I entre the lecture hall of about 50 students and when you ask them if they would practice as science teachers after their graduation, you would see less than 20 of them indicating interest. What this means is that we have students that were forced to study course they didn’t initially apply for. This is a serious concern.” Prof Eze noted.

Beyond personnel issues, the inaugural lecturer lamented the state of infrastructure in Nigerian secondary institutions. Teachers preference for teaching jobs in urban areas against rural communities, pointing out that many schools still rely on outdated, theoretical curricula—often referred to as “rote learning” or memorization—because they lack functional laboratories.

On the Way Forward, the erudite scholar
called for an immediate re-engineering of the educational sector and urged federal and state governments to overhaul science-teacher recruitment process by institutionalizing strict, merit-based testing and certification for anyone seeking to teach science subjects; implementing distinct hazard and research allowances for science teachers to make the profession competitive and encouraging industries to adopt university laboratories, funding local research that directly solves Nigerian educational problems.

Earlier while declaring the lecture open, the Vice-Chancelor of ESUT, Prof Aloysius-Michaels OKolie disclosed that the Inaugural Lecture is a key component of academic procedures which every Professor is expected to undertake and commend the lecturer for chosen to delve into a topic that is not only germain to secondary education but also impactful to the ESUT as a science-based institution. Adding that the university remains committed to pioneering research and academic excellence despite the systemic challenges facing the nation’s educational landscape.

The event drew a massive audience, including members of the university senate, former and serving top government officials, traditional rulers, and students from various faculties.