TRCN to license 250,000 non-professional teachers
TRCN to license 250,000 non-professional teachers
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has backed the Federal Government’s Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), which is expected to provide a route to professional licensing for about 250,000 serving teachers without recognised teaching qualifications.
Head of Media, TRCN, Esther Chiwar, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the programme is designed to equip unqualified teachers in public and private schools with the requisite professional knowledge, skills and certification needed to practise as teachers.
She explained that under the initiative, beneficiaries who complete the prescribed ATPP examination will be eligible to sit for the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) conducted by TRCN, after which successful candidates will be registered and licensed to teach.
Chiwar added that the initiative, being led by the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, is coordinated by a Technical Working Group chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad.
“TRCN and the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, are expected to drive the implementation, with support from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
“The ATPP is aimed at addressing the long-standing challenge of teachers serving in classrooms without professional teaching qualifications or licences,” she stated.
According to the statement, a number of the affected teachers possess degrees or other qualifications in their subject areas but did not undergo recognised teacher-training programmes, limiting their access to professional registration and career progression.
Chiwar further explained that the new pathway is designed to enable such teachers to acquire the required professional qualifications while remaining in service.
The six-month programme would be delivered through two routes: the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) for graduates of non-education disciplines and the Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) for candidates from the National Diploma cadre.
While providing further insight into the programme, the TRCN spokesperson said the training would combine four months of blended learning, comprising self-paced online modules, virtual facilitation and assessments, with two months of supervised teaching practice in the participants’ schools.
“At the end of the programme, successful participants will proceed to the TRCN Professional Qualifying Examination.
“The programme fee will cover certification and licensing for successful candidates, according to officials.
The ATPP will be implemented in cohorts and is expected to reach approximately 250,000 serving teachers nationwide, with participants mapped across the federal, state and local government levels.
“The programme is part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to professionalise teaching and strengthen the quality of instruction in Nigerian schools,” the statement added.
