FG goes after unlicensed teachers, schools

The Federal Government on Wednesday said the compliance, monitoring and documentation of all professionally-licensed teachers and schools by the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) across the country would commence from March 9 to March 17.

TRCN’s Registrar, Professor Segun Ajiboye, who stated this in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen, said the task force has been activated to beam search light into the credentials of those teaching in government and private schools for appropriate commendation or sanction, as the case may be.

The National Council on Education had declared December 31, 2019 as the last day for unlicensed teachers to be registered with the TRCN or get booted out of the classroom.

Ajiboye, who maintained that no serious nation allows her future leaders to be misguided by quacks, stated that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has a dream to ensure professional teachers are given neccessary tools to excel.

In a related development, Ajiboye said TRCN takes exception to States recruiting teachers and treating her license as “added advantage” saying that TRCN certification is a must criterion for employment.

“TRCN commences compliance monitoring across the country. As the December 31, 2019 deadline given by the National Council on Education for anybody who wants to practise as a teacher in the country to get qualified, registered and licensed by TRCN has passed, the regulatory authority is embarking on verification of compliance in all the states of the Federation and FCT.

“The exercise is however put on hold in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states due to the challenges there. The TRCN team in each state will be led by a Professor of Education or a Provost of a College of Education. The first leg of the exercise will start on the 9th of March and end on the 17th.

“However this exercise will be a continuous one as TRCN has created a Compliance & Enforcement Unit at its head office for routine monitoring.

“Prior to the commencement of the monitoring, a technical team was set up by TRCN and a meeting was held with all the State Coordinators where issues of logistics were discussed and harmonised.

“TRCN takes exception to some States making TRCN Certificate optional in their recruitment of teachers. This practice must stop because it is mandatory for anyone who wants to profit from the job of a teacher to be registered with the regulatory authority.

“It is therefore considered absurd for any State to say ‘TRCN Certificate will be an added advantage’, whereas that is supposed to be the number one criterion. This is the global best practice. There is no serious nation that allows just anybody into its classrooms to teach their children. There must be evidence of professional certification to practice as a teacher,” he said.