As the new school session will soon begin, 1.3 million persons teaching in public and private primary and secondary schools across the country face sack unless they are able to meet the December 31, 2019 deadline set by the Federal Government to get registered and licensed by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, investigation by Vanguard has shown.
The affected persons form the bulk of an estimated two million people teaching in primary and secondary schools across the country who are not qualified to do so, going by TRCN’s regulations.
As of now, over 700,000 teachers have been certified by the TRCN.
Already, the TRCN has collated data of qualified and unqualified teachers in the following states: North Central- Nasarawa; South West – Ogun; South East – Ebonyi; South South – Cross River; North West – Jigawa; and North East, Bauchi.
However, the TRCN, in order to give more room for unqualified teachers to get themselves qualified and licensed, is organising two Professional Qualifying Examinations, PQE, before the year runs out.
The Registrar/Chief Executive of TRCN, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, who spoke with Vanguard Monday through the Head of Media Unit, Mr Oduh Idoko Anthony, said the agency was poised to sanitise the sector and rid it of unqualified teachers.
Prof. Ajiboye noted that education issues should not be taken with levity, adding that everything must be done to put it on the right pedestal.
“The statistics of all unqualified teachers in Nigeria’s public and private schools is huge, actual figure not yet determined. However, TRCN has collated data for six states, one from each geo-political zone. ”The Federal Ministry of Education has promised to assist TRCN to collect this data nationwide. In the interim, enforcement will start with those six states where data is currently available and we will progress to others thereafter.
“TRCN is making arrangements to organise two Professional Qualifying Examinations before the end of the year, one in October and another in November, to cater for the large number of applicants willing to register as teachers.
”We do hope with those two examinations, we will greatly reduce the number of unqualified teachers before the end of 2019,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 2019/2020 academic session began in Lagos State with students spending the first day in school tidying up their school premises.
At Community Junior and Secondary Schools, Suberu Oje, Lagos, serious academic works did not start on Monday.
The same situation obtained at Odualabe Junior Secondary School, Ajasa, Lagos.
However, some students of private schools, who are yet to partly or fully pay their school fees were turned back at the gates of their schools on Monday.
A cross section of the students Vanguard came across, said their school proprietors blamed the development on the huge debts owed them by some parents and guardians.
