The Federal Government will begin the enforcement and monitoring of compliance with its directive that only qualified and professionals licensed by Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) will teach in both public and private schools nationwide.
The Registrar, TRCN, Professor Segun Ajiboye, who stated this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, added that the first phase of the compliance monitoring and documentation will take place nationwide between March 9 and 17.
According to Ajiboye, the task force had been activated to beam searchlight on the credentials of those teaching in government and private schools for appropriate commendation or sanction as the case might be.
The National Council on Education declared December 31, 2019, as the last day for unlicensed teachers to be registered with TRCN or get booted out of the classroom.
Ajiboye, who maintained that no serious nation would allow her future leaders to be misguided by quacks, stated that the Buhari administration had a dream to ensure professional teachers were given necessary tools to excel.
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In a related development, Ajiboye said the TRCN took exception to states recruiting teachers and treating its license as ‘added advantage’, describing TRCN certification as a must criterion of employment.
According to him, “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 March 9 and ends on March 17.
“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.”
