The newly reappointed TRCN Chief has emphasized on the qualifications of teaching staff across the Country.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of TRCN, Prof Josiah Ajiboye, broke the sad news that most teachers in primary and secondary school, in both private and public schools; aren’t qualified to be in the classroom teaching. He emphasized that the privacy settings are worse in this situation as almost all their standards don’t match the government requirements. Hence, they won’t be registered by the council.
As the deadline for teachers to get certification draws nearer, he lamented that only a few have heard and answered the call.
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“Most teachers lack basic certification”, Prof. Ajiboye.
He said that most teachers lack the basic teaching educational qualifications which is the National Certificate in Education (NCE). NCE is the lowest recognized certificate a teacher must-have.
He said according to the law governing educational institutions, it’s important that any teacher working in an institution must possess a minimum of NCE and a TRCN certificate.
The two certificates are important and should be treated like that.
“So, those without these two certificates are not supposed to get teaching employment, let alone be in the classroom teaching,” said Prof. Ajiboye.
He said most school owners, especially private schools, are aware of this law. But most often, they choose to play ignorance. Then, go on to employ Secondary school leavers.
A new era has begun
Ajiboye said the council is waiting for the COVID-19 crisis to subsidize them, then they would start visiting schools to enforce its policy. This has started earlier in February 2020. That was before the pandemic broke out.
Earlier, the deadline was set for December 2019. Then it was extended till July 2021 to accommodate more teachers. The new Chairman said that there won’t be a new deadline.
The Requirements of the licensing process
The new chief said there will be a qualifying examination before the mandatory licensing. This process is aimed at exposing crooks and quacks in the profession.
Nigeria’s improvement lies in the quality of its teachers. Their qualities influence their methods of teaching and learning in schools. When observed, Nigeria is paying deeply for lack of professionalism. The professor also stated that the success of the educational enterprise lies in quality.
”A situation where anyone, whether qualified and unqualified, is free to stand in front of a classroom to teach is sheer anarchy and Nigeria is already paying a big price for that neglect of the sector”, said The New Chief.
