The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria has said a lack of professional teachers in schools remains a challenge in the Nigerian education sector.
In the same vein, the TRCN said to tackle the challenge it remedied over 7,000 quack teachers in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
It noted that highly committed, dedicated and virile teachers are now difficult to find in schools, stressing that it has affected the level of teaching.
Speaking at a one-day workshop organised for members of the education correspondents on Thursday in Abuja, the registrar of the council, Josiah Ajiboye emphasised the importance of teacher training in improving a nation’s education sector.
The theme of the workshop was titled, “Strengthening Teacher Education: Challenges and Opportunities in Basic Education Sub-sector in Nigeria.”
He further disclosed that the council has remedied over 7,000 quack teachers in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states for the purpose of curbing the problem.
He said, “Universally, teachers are key players in the education sector of any nation. However, the challenge with Nigerian Education was largely attributed to poor teaching, where experienced professional teachers who are highly committed, dedicated and virile were difficult to find in our schools.
“Therefore, the Council in fulfilling its mandates which involve innovations in public policies to upscale the dignity, rewards and recognition of the teaching profession in Nigeria, took some practical steps to salvage the situation.”
Revealing some of the steps taken, Ajiboye said a policy has been created for career growth, elongation of teachers’ years of service from 60 to 65 years with incentives, digital literacy training and remote learning for 22,500 teachers across 16 states and registration of over 2.3 million teachers amongst other incentives.
Ajiboye also called on the media to help the country in amplifying the positive values of the sector so that foreign countries could read about Nigeria’s education system.
“The Council requests ECAN to sustain its collaborative efforts at transforming the teaching profession in Nigeria. We are willing and open to always partnering with you.
“We are not yet where we would like to be but steps are being taken in the right direction and soon the tide of the teaching profession will change for the better and your names will be written among those that made it possible,” he said.
