The registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Josiah Ajiboye emphasized the urgent need to tackle the issue of unqualified teachers in schools across the country, on Tuesday.
Ajiboye highlighted that while approximately 80 percent of teachers in public schools meet the necessary qualifications, the same cannot be said for private schools, where less than half of the teachers are qualified.
“A large percentage of teachers in public schools, about 80 percent are qualified but the same cannot be said of private schools where we have less than 50 percent of qualified teachers.”
To address this disparity, Ajiboye announced that the TRCN would soon commence a comprehensive monitoring program aimed at identifying and exposing unqualified teachers, particularly in private schools. This initiative, termed ‘naming and shaming,’ aims to hold schools accountable for employing properly qualified educators.
“We’re resuming the monitoring of schools across the country very soon with what we call ‘naming and shaming’ of private schools,” he said.
Ajiboye also stressed the importance of collaboration with organizations like the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) to ensure that all teachers meet the required standards.
He criticized the practice of hiring secondary school leavers as teachers, emphasizing its detrimental impact on the quality of education.
Furthermore, Ajiboye emphasized that assessing teacher quality solely through exams like the UTME was insufficient.
He urged parents to utilize the TRCN website to verify the qualifications of teachers in their children’s schools, as teacher profiles are now a prerequisite for school registration.
Kingsley Moghalu, president of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation, echoed Ajiboye’s sentiments, emphasizing the need to prioritize skill development in Nigeria’s education system.
He argued that education should move beyond rote memorization and focus on equipping learners with practical skills essential for national development, especially in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Moghalu referenced reports from the World Bank and UNESCO, which indicated that a significant percentage of teachers in public basic education institutions lack the necessary qualifications. He called for urgent reforms to address this issue.
Stanley Boroh, a lecturer at Federal University, Otuoke, attributed the decline in teacher quality to poor remuneration, which has deterred qualified individuals from entering the profession.
He emphasized the importance of training and retraining teachers, as well as providing a conducive working environment.
Similarly, Boye Ogundele, an educationist, highlighted poor remuneration and inadequate welfare as major obstacles to improving education standards in Nigeria.
He urged the government to prioritize the well-being of teachers to enhance the quality of education nationwide.
“Don’t let us fool ourselves; the major problem presently is poor remuneration and lack of good welfare for teachers from the government,” he said.
