As it is believed in some quarters that unqualified teaching personnel are rife in the education sector, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has conducted professional qualifying examinations for 17, 141 teachers in Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT
The chief executive officer and registrar of TRCN Prof. Josiah Ajiboye who disclosed this in Abuja said there were emerging issues in the polity and every teacher is expected to know what is happening, especially in the education sector.
Ajiboye who spoke through the acting director, certification and licensing, Dr. Jacinta Ametope- Ogboso, said the Council had a benchmark and was determined to work with its set target.
He said the case of teachers with special needs was an issue the Council would not take lightly.
He said the TRCN had begun to identify such teachers and engage with institutions that are specialised in handling their cases.
He said it was possible that some teachers would fail the examination.
He said such development does not make them bad teachers but teachers who did not prepare for the examination.
However, the registrar said opportunity to re-sit would be given to such teachers in future.
“In the batch ‘A’ 2021 teachers professional qualifying exams, we have a total number of 17,141 candidates who sat for the exams nationwide. There are a total of 42 centres end some states have two centres. We have a benchmark and the exam is taking place in all. Osun has the highest number of teachers sitting for the exams.
“The case of teachers with special needs is something we have started engaging. The Council has started the process and we’re beginning to identify with them. Already, we are discussing with institutions that are specialised in handling persons with special needs and one of them is the College of Education, Osun special.
“You know what COVID-19 has done to the country and the quantity of money that comes into our treasury has been grossly insufficient, however we are in it. We are not taking and treating the material lying low.
“We have started the implementation of the sacking of unqualified teachers from schools. We need to know how many are not registered and licensed. The challenge however is that schools have not been steady and majority of the teachers have also not been steady for us to go and find them. The real force is yet to come and this is because the nation is not yet balanced. So we’re waiting for things to change and then have it in an elaborate way,” he said.
