Follow Us on Google
Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), on Tuesday, met with dean of faculties of education in Nigeria’s higher institutions and other relevant stakeholders to brainstorm and develop implementable roadmap for the achievement of teacher professionalism and quality education in Nigeria.
The TRCN, alongside the stakeholders, were unhappy that quacks have invaded the teaching profession with negative influence, perhaps as a result of weak regulations.
They all, however, resolved to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that teaching jobs are restricted to only professionals with expert knowledge and specialized skills acquired through rigorous and continuous training.
Registrar of TRCN, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, in his welcome address at the stakeholders’ retreat with the theme “Roadmap for Teacher Professionalism and Quality Education in Nigeria” challenged the stakeholders to be liberal with their knowledge and experience so they could arrive at a resolution that could herald the needed change in the teaching profession.
Ajiboye said TRCN has been handicapped in its operations due to difficulties in disengaging the unqualified, untrained teachers and charlatans from teaching in schools; non-involvement of TRCN and teachers in vital education issues relating to teachers; non-membership of TRCN in the boards and operations of other education agencies.
Other reasons he highlighted were the wrong nomenclature of TRCN, which gives some stakeholders wrong perceptions of the mandates and scope of activities of TRCN as being limited to registration, and inadequate funding of TRCN activities and programmes.
Emeritus Prof. Pai Obanya, in a paper presentation, challenged teachers to seek broad knowledge to remain relevant in socio-economic discussions.
He reminded them that method of teaching and learning has changed and there was need for them to understudy their systems, make necessary amends and empowerment for maximum impact.
Representatives of the National Teacher’s Institute (NTI), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other stakeholders, in their goodwill messages promised their support to the programmes of TRCN that would introduce enduring positve change and restore the glory of the teaching profession.
