Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare and an education advocate, has proposed reforms for Nigeria’s education system, including a master’s degree as the minimum qualification for teachers and a starting salary of ₦400,000 monthly.

In posts on X on Monday, Onyia suggested that teachers should hold a second-class upper division (2:1) in their first degree.

“Being a teacher should be something of great pride, and the academic standards should be very high,” he said. “If I were the one in charge, I would do this.”
He referenced Finland, where primary and secondary school teachers require a master’s degree and receive high salaries.

Onyia proposed a ₦400,000 monthly salary, increased from his earlier suggestion of ₦300,000, and a car for teachers, to be paid off over time. He also recommended mandatory biannual license renewals linked to ongoing training and certification exams.

“The best should train the coming generations,” he said.
The proposals have prompted varied reactions online. Ikenna, an X user, stated, “A bachelor’s degree holder is more than qualified to handle problems at the primary and secondary school levels. It’s not about the class of degree.”

Mikail said the standards could disqualify over half of Nigeria’s schools but noted that removing substandard schools might improve benchmarks.

J. Opara supported higher standards but suggested flexibility: “I think it should be a degree in Education or if you’re from a field outside education, you should do a PGD in education for one year.”

He also proposed mortgage and car loans, subsidised healthcare, and foreign training with service bonds. Kolawole emphasised teaching ability over academic grades, saying, “Minimum requirement should be a proven ability to actually impart knowledge… not just good BSc and PG grades.”

Concerns about implementation arose, particularly for rural areas. Holly Aboh questioned feasibility in regions like rural Niger State, while Georgevin Jr. said the policy could make education “more inaccessible.” @MsIfyAmana called for curriculum reforms and increased funding for teacher training, while Chyko stated, “Passion trumps certificates every day, twice on Sunday.” Adégòkè recommended focused B.Ed programs and said, “₦300k/month for teachers with Masters Degrees? The pay should reflect the value they bring.”

Onyia maintained that his reforms could transform Nigerian education within a year. “Within a year, Nigeria’s education will be transformed,” he said