By: Fr. Innocent Ike Nwachukwu, Ph.D.
Education is a human right, not a privilege. Its importance cannot be overemphasized or underrated. It creates “sustainable societies by sustainably improving environmental, social, and economic factors such as agricultural productivity, environmental protection, medical science, etc., thereby raising the standard of living. It is the greatest force that can be used to bring about change in a society, as well as the “greatest investment that a nation can make for the quick development of its economic, political, sociological, and human resources.”
As one of the key components that can make or break a culture’s advancement, education can provide significant contributions in the fields of arts, literature, science, technology, and others and help establish a well-rounded and stimulating society. Hence, education “helps to shape the children of today into adults of tomorrow.” It provides students with opportunities to cooperate, collaborate, and socialize with peers of different backgrounds, identities, and experiences in preparation for work and life as an adult.
Today, more than ever, the Church relies on educational institutions—nursery, primary, and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities—to form a future generation of leaders for our nation and the world. As a mother and teacher, the Church believes and teaches that education is fundamental to human development. She sees it as a basic human right, and human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, ethnic group, color, religion, language, or social status. Thus, access to education should be “a right to every human and not a privilege, since everyone deserves to become knowledgeable” about the world we call home.
It is crucial to mention that “education is not merely a social service, but an expression of the Church’s identity and vocation” (Pope Leo XIV, Message to Educators at a Conference in Madrid, Vatican News, November 22, 2025). Its purpose is to act as a guiding “compass” for teaching and forming the whole person. As against the Church’s critics, “the icon of the Mother Church is not only an expression of tenderness and charity but of power to be a guide and a teacher.” In his encyclical Mater et Magistra, Saint John XXIII utilized feminine imagery to define the Church’s dual mission: to foster life as a mother and to guide souls as a teacher with maternal care. Thus, he writes, “The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. To her was entrusted by her holy Founder the twofold task of giving life to her children and of teaching them and guiding them, both as individuals and as nations, with maternal care. Great is their dignity, a dignity that she has always guarded most zealously and held in the highest esteem” (Saint John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra, n. 1).
Obviously, one of the main objectives of the Church in her educational roles is “to provide an environment in which students are enabled to build and deepen their relationship with God; to foster an academic culture aimed at the pursuit of truth; and to actively promote growth in virtue.” To achieve or realize these great and inspiring objectives of the Church, a teacher is needed. “The teacher under discussion here is not simply a professional person who systematically transmits a body of knowledge in the context of a school; ‘teacher’ is to be understood as ‘educator,’ one who helps to form human persons.” In other words, the role of a teacher in education goes beyond teaching. It requires leadership and communication skills, patience, and good examples.
In today’s world, teaching has different aspects, and a teacher must carry out the role of being an external parent, counselor, mentor, role model, etc. What defines a teacher is his or her ability to teach students and have a positive influence on them. Hence, “if adequate professional preparation is required to transmit knowledge, then adequate professional preparation is even more necessary to fulfill the role of a genuine teacher. It is an indispensable human formation, and without it, it would be foolish to undertake any educational work.”
The reason for a genuine and committed teacher is that “a child is like clay, and teachers can shape the child in any form. Whatever a child learns is from their parents and, after them, from their teachers, as they take birth with no knowledge.” Teachers are the ones who provide them with education and knowledge. Teachers are equally important in a student’s life. They become an encouraging factor, a confidence booster, and a moral supporter for students. “From schools and colleges to universities, students need teachers everywhere to guide them to shape their future. In spite of having the personality of a strict person, they are kindhearted and loving toward their students. Due to all these reasons, the role of a teacher as an important factor in one’s life cannot be ignored.”
As a mentor and role model, which a teacher should be, students will be inspired by their teacher’s commitment to helping them develop their unique talents and intellect. Thus, “teachers are dedicated professionals who have a lasting impact on students.” Becoming a teacher should allow us to leverage our strengths and passion as leaders in the educational field, thereby making a positive difference in the lives of young people, who may want to consider this noble, rewarding profession.
On the contrary, education and the role of teachers in our Nigerian context have been made a thing of ridicule, a joke. In one of the editorials of the “Whistler” on the agony of a Nigerian teacher, it writes, “It is often said that a teacher’s reward is in heaven. This reward-in-heaven cliché is the one reason many young school leavers run away from the teaching profession. The fact is, everybody needs earthly and heavenly glory. Teachers rightly need heaven on earth. The inhuman treatment meted out to them despite their crucial role in both human and national development calls for a greater concern.” Hence, teachers had been “subjected to various kinds of ill-treatment by various stakeholders as a result of huge neglect by government,” and the “massive impoverishment suffered by them in our societies has made teachers to be classified as second-class citizens in Nigeria, whereas they are supposed to occupy a pride of place in our country.”
Our government should have a vision of “providing the best education delivery for our citizens,” and this “can only be achieved when adequate care and attention are given to our teachers.” We can admit that teachers are “paid peanuts, which makes living very difficult for them.” Life has become so miserable for our teachers to the extent that a teacher cannot afford a decent house, affordable health insurance, a means of transportation to go to work, or even to train their children in school. This is injustice and man’s inhumanity to man. Thus, Pope Leo XIV says, “One of the current difficulties in our societies is that we no longer know how to value sufficiently the great contribution that teachers and educators make to the community. But we need to be careful, because damaging the social and cultural role of educators means jeopardizing our own future, and a crisis in the transmission of knowledge carries with it a crisis of hope” (Pope Leo XIV, Address to Educators on the Occasion of the Jubilee of the World of Education, Holy See Press Office, Vatican City, October 31, 2025).
In the past, teachers in Nigeria commanded immense respect, particularly in rural communities where they were held in the same high regard as traditional leaders. Unfortunately, much of that respect has eroded today. The feeling is that “once called a teacher, you are a nobody.” This degradation of teachers must stop. It is outrageous. The federal and state governments should pay teachers their wages without delays and invest in education and in the training of teachers for future generations, not only because it is simply the right thing to do, but also because “failing to do so is a recipe for poverty, inequality, and instability.”
The Church, in its prophetic role, teaches that education is a powerful tool to transform the world, lifting it from the darkness of ignorance, corruption, and greed into a light filled with compassion, honesty, and intellectual progress. Our country needs an “education that can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, as it gives new opportunities that would not be accessible otherwise.” Hence, Pope Leo XIV challenges us with the following questions: “In the field of education, therefore, each one of us might ask ourselves what commitment we are making to address the most urgent needs, what efforts we are making to build bridges of dialogue and peace, even within teaching communities, what skills we are developing to overcome preconceptions or narrow views, what openness we are showing in co-learning processes, and what efforts we are making to meet and respond to the needs of the most fragile, poor, and excluded? Sharing knowledge is not enough for teaching: love is needed. Only then will knowledge be beneficial to those who receive it, in itself and above all, for the charity it conveys. Teaching should never be separated from love” (Pope Leo XIV, Address to Educators on the Occasion of the Jubilee of the World of Education).
As our country joined the global community on January 24th to mark the 2026 International Day of Education, themed “The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education,” we urgently call on the government to address the nation’s educational crisis. Nigeria has the resources to adequately fund its schools and support its workforce; thus, the demands for fair wages by teachers and academic unions are inalienable rights, not privileges that can be legally revoked or suppressed by intimidation. Investing in education is investing in our nation’s future, security, and peace; to fail here is to jeopardize everything. Let us recognize, honor, and support our teachers.
