Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, has warned that the Federal Government will not allow any teacher without the TRCN professional certificate to teach beyond 2017. Calling on all teachers to register with the council before May 31, 2017, Prof. Ajiboye explained that the policy is part of the “Three-Year Ministerial Strategic Plan” of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to professionalise teaching.
Qualified teachers who enlist after the registration date would be required to write an examination before they are formally registered by the council. The registration, according to Prof. Ajiboye, is to eliminate “quack” and “half-baked” teachers, thereby making sure that “Nigerian children are taught by only qualified professional teachers who can deliver quality education for the elevation of our children and our country.”
Making teaching a profession is a commendable idea whose time has come. It is, indeed, belated. But, as it is said, it is better late than never. We cannot stress too strongly the benefits of a good teacher. The quality of education in any nation is as good as the quality of the teachers in the classrooms at every education level.
To deliver good quality work, the teacher must be equipped with knowledge which must come through professional training and re-training. Children, at every level, are the future of the country. It is risky to allow these future leaders to be moulded by ignorant, poorly trained and barely literate teachers.
We commend TRCN for incorporating every level of education into this scheme to ensure that even doctoral candidates are taught by teachers who are capable of teaching at that level, which is the Category A module. Category B is the Master’s degree level; Category C is for Bachelor’s degree holders while Category D accommodates holders of NCE, the basic qualification which every teacher ought to have.
In addition to compelling teachers who fail to register now to write professional examinations before they are allowed to do so, from the end of this month, we urge the council to develop curricular for the continuous training and re-training of teachers at every level, especially between the kindergarten and secondary levels, because those are the critical levels where errors and omissions can be far-reaching in their effects.
We all know that thousands of otherwise good students are put off certain subjects because of the poor teaching methods of incompetent teachers. Special attention must be paid to those subjects where there has been a perennial shortage of good teachers — mathematics, science subjects and English Language. Headmasters and Principals must be on the look-out for specially gifted teachers who make a huge difference in the attitude of students to some subjects.
The TRCN should consider the motivation of teachers as a primary ingredient to good performance and commitment. We have had the honour of commending the Nigerian Breweries Teacher of the Year Competition and Awards. The TRCN should encourage efforts like the NB’s to encourage professional excellence in teaching. We have no doubt that there are some methods by which teachers who distinguish themselves can be encouraged and rewarded, to spur other teachers to excellence. It is difficult to attach monetary value to the services of a good teacher, but the way to have more good teachers is to acknowledge, encourage and appreciate those who are excelling in the profession.
We must, however, advise the TRCN to make haste slowly. It should know that the professionalisation of teaching in Nigeria after decades of indecision and low esteem, when teaching became the last choice in job choices, must be handled with a great deal of care and deliberation.
While the council puts pressure on unqualified teachers to get the necessary qualifications as soon as possible, it should not be hasty in getting rid of the unqualified ones until it is sure of suitable replacements.
The council must encourage the Federal and State governments to establish more teacher training schools. They must expand existing facilities and equip them with modern laboratories, computers and Internet facilities. The TRCN is a great opportunity through which teachers can realise their dreams and earn the respect which has long been denied them.
