Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 3,252 Verified PTA Teachers Into Federal Unity Colleges

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the recruitment process for 3,252 verified Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) teachers serving in Federal Unity Colleges across the country, in a move aimed at addressing the persistent shortage of teachers and strengthening the quality of education in the nation's federal secondary schools.

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the development on Thursday, describing the approval as a landmark intervention reflecting President Tinubu's commitment to revitalising the education sector and investing in Nigeria's future through improved teaching and learning. According to the minister, priority will be given to verified PTA teachers, many of whom have served in Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges for close to 25 years without being absorbed into the mainstream public service.

The minister's Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, said in a statement issued in Abuja that the approval followed a comprehensive verification exercise conducted by an Inter-Ministerial Committee, which screened PTA teachers across Federal Unity Colleges nationwide. The exercise ultimately confirmed the eligibility of 3,252 teachers spanning the cadres of Education Officers, Assistant Education Officers and Technical Instructors, paving the way for their formal regularisation once all outstanding statutory requirements have been completed.

Attah described the development as a major milestone under the Tinubu administration's Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the recruitment would help improve the teacher-to-student ratio in Federal Unity Colleges while formally recognising the dedication and sacrifices of PTA teachers who have sustained academic activities in these institutions despite years of employment uncertainty. According to officials familiar with the process, affected teachers have in some cases spent between 10 and 25 years teaching in federal schools without being placed on the government's official payroll, relying instead on parent-teacher association arrangements to remain in classrooms.

Alausa said the decision represents one of the most significant steps taken by the Tinubu administration to address the longstanding teacher shortage in Federal Unity Colleges, while acknowledging the contributions of thousands of educators who have continued supporting learning across the country despite that uncertainty. He explained that absorbing experienced PTA teachers into the federal civil service would help preserve valuable institutional knowledge, strengthen classroom instruction, and improve learning outcomes across the affected colleges, arguing that no education system can rise above the quality of the teachers within it.

The minister assured all verified PTA teachers that the ministry remains fully committed to concluding the regularisation process with transparency, fairness and diligence, in full compliance with due process and established public service regulations. He added that the Federal Ministry of Education would immediately begin the remaining administrative and statutory processes required to move toward the issuance of formal appointment letters for the affected teachers.

The verification exercise itself was reportedly extensive, involving a nationwide inter-ministerial review process designed to confirm the authenticity and eligibility of PTA teachers across Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges, distinguishing genuinely long-serving educators from more recent or informally engaged staff. Officials say the resulting figure of 3,252 verified teachers reflects that rigorous screening process, rather than a simple headcount of all PTA-employed staff nationwide.

The approval comes amid continuing government efforts to address teacher shortages across Nigeria's federal education institutions, a challenge that has persisted for years despite successive interventions. Federal Unity Colleges, established to promote national integration by drawing students from across the country's diverse regions, have long relied on PTA-funded teachers to fill staffing gaps left by inadequate federal recruitment, a practice that has left many educators in prolonged employment limbo despite years of service.

By formally absorbing these teachers into the federal civil service, the government appears to be addressing both an immediate staffing shortage and a longer-standing welfare concern affecting thousands of educators who have effectively subsidised the federal school system through years of underpaid or precarious employment. The move is likely to be closely watched by affected teachers and education stakeholders as the ministry works through the remaining statutory steps toward finalising appointments.