Eleven States Block Teachers Advancement in Civil Service Career

Teachers in 11 Nigerian states are barred from being promoted to Grade Level 16 within their respective civil services, an investigation revealed.

Data obtained from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abuja highlights that most affected teachers are in primary schools, where promotions beyond certain levels have been consistently denied.

For years, the NUT has criticized state governors for failing to promote primary school teachers to Grade Level 16 and above. The issue reflects broader challenges in the education sector, including neglect of teachers’ welfare and career progression.

In Niger State, the NUT recently accused the government of failing to implement domestic servant allowances for secondary school teachers (introduced in 2018), stalling promotions to Grade Level 16, and neglecting annual increments and promotions since 2015.

States Affected

According to the NUT, Adamawa State has not promoted teachers to Grade Level 16 in 14 years. Bauchi and Benue states are also on the list of those failing to advance teachers to this level.

In Delta State, only four teachers per local government area are allowed to advance beyond Grade Level 14. Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, and Kano states similarly restrict primary school teachers from reaching Grade Level 16.

Nasarawa, Niger, and Sokoto states are also implicated. In Taraba and Ogun states, only degree-holding primary school teachers are promoted to Grade Level 16 and above.

Meanwhile, in Ekiti State, promotions to Grade Level 15 are granted without corresponding financial benefits. According to the NUT, many teachers there are issued promotion letters for Grade Level 15 but are still paid at Grade Level 14.

NUT’s Response

The NUT expressed its determination to continue engaging with state governments to remove these barriers to teachers’ career progression. “We will continue to interface with state governors to ensure the ceiling on teachers’ promotion is removed,” the union said.

The stagnation in promotions not only undermines teachers’ morale but also raises concerns about the overall commitment to improving the education sector in the affected states.