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junior Form 4 secondary school leavers in Malawi and Tanzania who finished school in 1990 were employed as teachers in 2001.
Thus, in the absence of alternative employment opportunities, becoming a school teacher is the main avenue for social and economic advancement for Nigerian graduates. This has
important implications for the development of a critical mass of competent and experience teachers in education.
4.5 The Work Environment and Remuneration
Teachers rarely enjoy the same work environment as other professions. The size of the teaching force coupled with lower educational qualifications means that teachers are also
paid considerably less than the mainstream professions.
4.6 The Social Class and Academic Background of Entrants to the Profession
The standing of a profession is to some extent affected by the social class background of its recruits; the higher the ‗social strata from which recruits generally come, the higher the status
of the profession. And, of course, the higher the status of a profession, the more it will attract recruits from the higher social strata Hoyle, 1969.
Entry into teaching profession in Nigeria has been a source of worry to discernable observers. In the past, primary six leaving certificate arid Modern School Certificate holders
were the requirements for entry into the teaching profession, and to teachers‘ colleges. Later, School Certificate holder constituted the bulk of teaching forces in primary school, in the
early seventies. Currently, the majority of students who apply or enter the Colleges of Education and University‘s Faculty of Education are usually those with low grade, in the
competitive JAMB Examination. Majority of them reluctantly pursue education as a last
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resort. So at the end of their course, graduates from colleges of education and Faculty of Education opted out from teaching and looked for more lucrative jobs.
4.7 Balance between the Sexes in Teaching
Women constitute a high preponderance of the teaching force especially at the Primary school level. Although there has been improvement in the social status of women in our
society in the last two decades, the preponderance of women in the teaching profession is likely to detract its status for men Hoyle, 1969. The general status of the profession,
compared with other professional occupations, which are usually dominated by males, is diminished through the preponderance of women. This may not necessarily be due to any
notion of the interior abilities of women compared with men, although no doubt such ideas will prevail.
4.8 Commitment to the Profession
