About 375 teachers in Kaduna State have participated in the second batch of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE).
The Kaduna State and North-West Zonal Coordinator of TRCN, Esther Ayubanata, disclosed this on Saturday while speaking during the examination in Kaduna.
Ayubanata said the examination was aimed at evaluating teachers’ professional competence and ensuring that only trained, qualified and certified individuals were allowed to teach in Nigerian schools.
She stressed that teaching was a specialised profession that required proper training, certification and licensing, adding that the council was committed to ensuring that every classroom teacher obtained the necessary professional credentials.
“Our vision is to ensure that every teacher in the classroom is first trained, certified and licensed by TRCN to enable them to effectively impart knowledge to pupils and students.
“Just like other professional bodies, you cannot afford to have quacks in the teaching profession. Every teacher must obtain TRCN certification to qualify to teach,” she said.
The coordinator attributed the decline in the number of candidates compared with previous examinations to the introduction of online registration and prevailing economic difficulties, which had made it challenging for some teachers to afford the registration fees.
She explained that holders of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) or a bachelor’s degree alongside a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) or Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) were qualified to take the examination.
According to her, candidates who pass the examination would be awarded professional certificates, which would improve their recognition and career mobility both within and outside Nigeria.
Ayubanata also announced that TRCN had begun a nationwide compliance exercise to ensure that teachers in public and private schools were properly registered and licensed.
She said the exercise involved visits to schools to verify teachers’ professional credentials, with the council targeting full compliance across the country.
She encouraged teachers who lacked the required professional qualifications to enrol in the Accelerated Teachers Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education, TRCN and the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI).
She said the six-month programme was designed to provide individuals already working as teachers but without the necessary professional qualifications with the training and opportunity to obtain TRCN certification and registration.
The coordinator, however, warned that teachers who failed to meet the stipulated requirements or take advantage of the programme could risk losing their jobs.
She commended the Kaduna State chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) for supporting teachers to participate in the examination across the state’s 33 local government areas.
One of the candidates, Umar Mayere, a Graduate Assistant at the Faculty of Education, Gombe State University, described the examination as essential for all teachers, regardless of their teaching level.
Mayere said obtaining TRCN certification was evidence of a teacher’s professional competence and qualification to practise in educational institutions.
He expressed confidence in the computer-based examination, saying he was adequately prepared for the test.
Another candidate, Hannah Omolade, a teacher at Redeemer’s Academy, described the examination process as smooth and straightforward.
Omolade said she arrived at the examination centre before 7:00 a.m. and completed the computer-based test within the allocated 60 minutes.
She attributed the smooth experience to prior preparation, noting that candidates familiar with computer-based tests would have little or no difficulty participating in the examination.
(NAN)
