• Niger integrated 11,015 contract teachers into the civil service without competitive exams.

• The government aimed to ease social tensions and address chronic teacher shortages.

• Authorities sought to stabilize education jobs amid demographic pressure and overcrowded classrooms.

In a statement published on Friday, January 9, on the Facebook page of Niger’s Ministry of National Education, the government announced the integration of 11,015 contract teachers into the civil service without competitive examinations. The measure responds to recurring social tensions in the education sector and to the fragile status of contract teachers.

The decision followed a consultation process involving several ministries and social partners in the education sector. Two technical committees supported the process at the initiative of Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, under the leadership of President Abdourahamane Tiani. The consultations “made it possible to identify concrete solutions, particularly in recruitment and the clearance of salary and promotion arrears.”

The government assigned implementation oversight to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Employment. Authorities said the integrated teachers will be gradually assigned to several ministries. These ministries include those responsible for education, technical and vocational training, youth and sports, culture, and the promotion of social values.

According to the official statement, the integration aims to secure professional careers long marked by contractual instability. The International Labour Organization said job insecurity in public education represents a major factor behind demotivation and declining teaching quality in several low-income countries. By stabilizing education employment, Nigerien authorities aim to address a social emergency while laying the groundwork for a durable strengthening of the education system and the public labor market.

The measure comes as Niger faces a structural shortage of teachers, with classrooms often overcrowded. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the student-to-teacher ratio in secondary education stands at around 30 students per teacher. This level exceeds international recommendations and limits the quality of pedagogical supervision. In some rural areas, the ratio exceeds 50 students per teacher.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum