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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), yesterday, conducted Professional Qualification Examination (PQE) for the last batch of teachers ahead of commencement of eviction of unlicensed teachers from classrooms in January.
No fewer than 77,000 candidates wrote the examination at different centres across the country, to qualify as certified teachers.
Long before the examination, the Federal Government had directed teachers to obtain the PQE certificate being issued by TRCN to retain their teaching appointments after January 2020.
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who monitored the exercise at a centre in Abuja, conceded that the PQE has helped to sanitise the teaching profession, thus allowing only genuine and licensed teachers access to classrooms.
The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Sonny Echono, hinted that the door would not completely be shut against those who were yet to get certified, even though the enforcement would commence January 2020, as initially planned.
He said: “The PQE will continue, except that this December diet is the last before the deadline as earlier declared by the Federal Government. From January 2020, we would commence the enforcement of eviction of unlicensed teachers from classrooms.
“We would consider providing another chance, perhaps, next year for them, so they can get the qualifications and if they are lucky, we would welcome them back.
“But they can choose to join other professions other than teaching if they choose not to get certified by TRCN. Howbeit, we have drawn the line at this point that unlicensed teachers are leaving our classrooms beginning from January.”
Meanwhile, the TRCN Registrar, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, in his remarks, disclosed that the exercise was successful across locations except for Ekiti state where it was temporarily suspended due to some technical issues that were beyond the control of TRCN.
He disclosed that Lagos State had the highest number of candidates, explaining that 8000 candidates wrote the examination at two centres. The TRCN boss said he was impressed with response from the teachers regarding the professional qualifications since 2017 when the exercise started and assured them of full benefit thereof.
