“He taught four subjects for ₦25,000” — Woman shares experience of hardship in a private school

A woman revealed that she and a colleague were overworked, underpaid, and mistreated at a private school—where a graduate teacher handled four subjects for just ₦25,000—highlighting ongoing concerns about poor welfare and exploitation of teachers.

A woman has narrated her difficult experience working at a private school, describing what she called unfair treatment, poor pay, and excessive workload faced by teachers—especially a senior colleague known as Uncle Femi.

Her story, which surfaced online on Tuesday, has sparked fresh discussions about teachers’ welfare, labour exploitation, and the need for stronger regulation of low-cost private schools in Nigeria.

According to her, she earned ₦9,000 and was not paid consistently, a situation that negatively affected her health and emotional well-being. She also claimed that when she tried to resign, the school’s owner refused to accept her decision, effectively forcing her to remain in the job.

She explained that the most troubling case was that of Uncle Femi, a Mathematics graduate who was responsible for teaching several science subjects across both junior and senior classes.

She described his situation as extremely difficult, noting that he handled Mathematics, Physics, and Further Mathematics from JSS1 to SS3. On one occasion, he arrived late at about 8:30 a.m. and was immediately issued a query by the principal without being given a chance to explain himself.

She later found out that he walked nearly two hours to school every day, leaving home around 6:00 a.m., because he could not afford transportation.

The situation worsened when the English teacher left the school. Uncle Femi was asked to take over the subject as well, with a promise of additional pay. However, despite teaching four subjects, his salary was only increased to ₦25,000.

The story reflects ongoing concerns raised by private school teachers, including earlier complaints in late 2025 calling for proper wage standards and improved monitoring of school management practices.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, GISTREEL