Malaika Dumkele EZEH

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception and attitude of education students towards teaching profession. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population of this study consist of the entire students in History Education of the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus with a population of nine hundred and eight (908) students. A sample of 100 respondents were randomly selected and used in this study and they were drawn to represent the entire population The Instrument for data collection in this study will be a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher titled “Perception and Attitude of Education Students Towards the Teaching Profession” (PAESTTPQ). The data collected were analyzed using mean (x), standard deviation (SD) and percentage method. The findings generally showed that the perception of education students towards the teaching profession is quite poor, the attitude of education students towards the teaching profession is poor or negative and the most prevalent factor influencing students’ perception and attitude towards the teaching profession is low salary and poor remuneration. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that the Nigerian government and educational stakeholders should intensify efforts to rebrand and elevate the image of the teaching profession through public awareness campaigns, policy reforms, and national recognition programs. Also, the Nigerian government should review and increase teachers’ salaries and allowances across all educational levels to ensure parity with other professional sectors. Regular and timely payment of salaries should also be enforced, as financial stability directly influences both motivation and commitment among teachers and prospective teachers.