Quiz0101-3.docx

**0101-3\ \ 3.4.1 Efforts in professionalizing teaching in Nigeria as a third world nation\ \ **In considering the various efforts that are being made towards professionalizing teaching in Nigeria, let us look at what some eminent stakeholders had to say in the 2014 1^st^ edition of the TRCN Nationa...

**0101-3\ \ 3.4.1 Efforts in professionalizing teaching in Nigeria as a third world nation\ \ **In considering the various efforts that are being made towards professionalizing teaching in Nigeria, let us look at what some eminent stakeholders had to say in the 2014 1^st^ edition of the TRCN National Benchmarks for its Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE):-\ \ **"**The Federal Ministry of Education at all times seek to break new grounds that will impact concretely and positively on the quality of education delivery in the country. There is no gainsaying the fact that education is the key to development and that the teacher through its pivotal role in the education system holds the key to development. This explains why every time we get the teacher factor right, the education system moves several steps ahead, exerting a multiplier effect on the learning process, the future of the Nigerian child and the overall prosperity of this great country, Nigeria.\ \ It is against this background that on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education I am very elated to present to the public this very novel benchmark designed to enhance quality assurance in the teaching profession. The full implementation of the Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination Benchmark will guarantee that teachers who hold professional registration and licensing under the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are truly tested and meet not only national but global and competitive standards. This is a very great step forward towards eradicating the use of the teaching profession as a dumping ground for quacks and as a stepping stone for other jobs.\ \ The commencement of the Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination Benchmark underscores the seriousness of the Federal Government to bring to an end the employment of unqualified teachers in the school system, be it in the public or private schools. The Examination will help separate the quacks from the real teachers and the school system will no longer be a place for those who have not passed the litmus test as teachers. Therefore, the prima facie evidence of a qualified teacher shall be the passing of the Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination and the possession of a teacher's registration certificate and teaching license which are all in consonance with the prescriptions of the Law.\ \ \ As one of the most vibrant and successful agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria will continue to receive very strong backing from the Ministry in the course of implementing all aspects of its statutory responsibilities. I therefore urge all stakeholders to join the Ministry and the Council to ensure that Teaching as a Profession is restored to its original pre-eminent position among the professions**"**\ **\ "**The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Act CAP T3 of 2004 (originally TRCN Decree No. 31 of 1993) saddled the Council with the responsibilities of determining who can be called a teacher in Nigeria, setting the standards that must be attained by teachers and raising the standards from time to time. The Law goes further to state that the Council shall regulate and control teaching in "all its aspects and ramifications". By implication therefore, the Council oversees the quality of teaching at all levels of the education system from the pre-primary to the university levels. It is also the responsibility of the Council to assure quality not only in the public but also privately owned educational institutions.\ \ These are very critical prescriptions of the Law which the Council is not ready to compromise in any way. Consequently, the Governing Board of TRCN is ceaselessly coming up with a complex set of strategies to deliver each and every intention of the Law and to leave the Teaching Profession better than we met it. The Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination Benchmark is just one of such strategies.\ \ The coming into force of the Benchmark implies that Teachers will no longer be registered to practice as teachers unless they pass the prescribed professional qualifying examination in the same manner that other professionals like the Medical doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, etc pass relevant examinations to prove their suitability for professional practice.\ \ One other strategy among several others being pushed forward by the Governing Board to raise the quality of teachers is the accreditation and continuous monitoring of teacher education programmes in the Faculties and Colleges of Education throughout Nigeria. Though this is a tedious and expensive exercise considering the large number of Teacher Education institutions in Nigeria and financial constraints, the Council is determined to achieve the relevant targets.\ \ \ Again, accreditation and monitoring of the education of would-be professionals by the professional regulatory agencies are not only national but international best practices and the Council has no intention of operating below national or international standards.\ \ Besides the Professional Qualifying Examination, the Council is also interested in periodically re-assessing the quality of teachers serving in the schools. Therefore, the Council has written all State Governors and Honorable Commissioners of Education to clear the fact that the testing of the "competency" of serving teachers is the statutory responsibility of the Council. To this end, the Council is currently developing a Teachers Competency Test Framework that will be used by the Council in collaboration with the states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory to assess the developmental needs of serving teachers, from time to time. These ambitious efforts by the Council therefore call for the support of the teachers themselves, employers of teachers, state governments, and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians in order to create a new teaching profession that befits our dear great country and which can guarantee the production of school graduates that are capable of competing globally.**"**\ \ **"**Since the commencement of operations in the year 2000, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria has sought to restore the lost glory of the teaching profession. It is often said that Teaching is the mother of all professions and the noblest of them all. However, teaching as a profession over the years succumbed to certain historical factors that robbed it of its glory and relegated it to the background. The worst aspect of this is that teaching became an "all-comers" job where anyone who could read or write can claim to be a teacher. In the ensuing confusion, it became difficult to ascertain who truly is a teacher; and the qualified teachers now come to share the blame arising from the professional incompetence and misconduct of the unqualified teachers because it is difficult to tell "who is who" in the profession. With this, the social status of all teachers plummeted and aspiring young fellows now avoid the teaching career like a plague.\ \ However, with the establishment of TRCN, the stage was set to squarely address these ills and to bring a sort of justice to the real teachers who have passed through the rigours of appropriate teacher education, imbibed the ethics of the teaching profession and have practically demonstrated their pedagogical prowess as stipulated by the Professional Standards for Teachers in Nigeria. The ascendancy of the Council in the actualization of its mandates has reverberated not only throughout Nigeria but also across the African continent and the world at large. This led to the unanimous adoption of Nigeria by the African countries as the Headquarters of the Teaching Regulatory Authorities in the continent. Similarly, the world body of the Teaching Councils based in Canada (the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities) recently also chose TRCN as Africa's sole representative in the Executive Board of that world body. Today, a Nigerian teacher with TRCN registration certificate and license is treated with automatic admission into the teaching profession of any country anywhere in the world. This was contrary to the situation TRCN met on ground where Nigerian teachers who wished to teach abroad were denied recognition and were asked to go for re-education before being registered and licensed to practice in those countries. The fact therefore cannot be over-emphasized that the work that the Council is doing is essentially building a new image of the teaching profession not only in this country but also around the world. Consequently, TRCN will not relent in forging ahead with its repositioning agenda and I have no doubt that posterity will judge all in glowing terms who rendered support to the cause of the teachers through collaboration with the Council.**"**\ \ **"**The TRCN Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) was at a time very audacious project that we shuddered to contemplate. Then, several factors kept us wondering whether or not we should venture into the conduct of professional qualifying examinations for teachers -- the factors included the huge number of teachers estimated at over 1.5 million, the financial implications of the examinations, the logistical nightmare and the fact that it would be the first time that teachers would write professional qualifying examination in Nigeria. Notwithstanding these fears, however, TRCN took the "bull by the horn" to prove its capability to do whatever is necessary to lift-up the teaching profession and to enable it reclaim its position in the comity of the professions. Therefore, over 50,000 teachers who applied for registration in 2008 were made to write the first ever professional qualified examinations in Nigeria. The conduct of that examination turned out to be far more stress-free than ever imagined with a result that was very instructive -- about 50% (25,000) of the teachers who wrote the examination passed while another 50% (25,000 teachers) failed. Only those who passed the examination were registered.\ \ \ That first attempt perhaps could not have been as successful as it turned out to be without the collaboration with the **Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board** (**JAMB**). JAMB was able to convert all the test items to its standard objective format and worked with the Council to deliver the papers to all state capitals in the country and the Federal Capital Territory where the teachers wrote the examinations. At the end of the examinations, JAMB also applied its acclaimed sophisticated technology to mark the papers and get the results released online within 24 hours. This was a feat that made the Council proud and boldly spelt, "**YES WE CAN!"** The success of that first attempt at Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination proved that the Council and indeed the nation can attain any height once there is passion, determination, patriotism, expertise and total commitment to national goals and objectives.\ \ The success of the 2008 "experiment" paved the way to the development of the Teachers Professional Qualification Examination Benchmark, which has now become a reality. The making of the Benchmark attracted the collaboration and input of several organizations and scholars worth acknowledging. Prominent among the organisations is the **Educational Testing Service (ETS)** of the United States of America -- the organization responsible for the conduct of the professional qualifying examination of teachers in America. The ETS interacted with TRCN at various levels including meeting with TRCN Chief Executive and Director of Professional Operations in Austin, Texas and training some TRCN staff at its Headquarters (USA) in the latest art of professional qualifying examination. The moral and technical support received from the ETS was therefore quite fundamental and helped to ensure that the Benchmark meets international expectations. Similarly, the professional regulatory agencies in Nigeria assisted in no small measure in motivating and shaping the thought and modus operandi of the Benchmark. This support came principally from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Council for Legal Education, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.\ \ At a point, educational consultants led by the erudite scholar, Professor Daniel Ogum, helped to accelerate the development of the Benchmark. Later, the Benchmark was validated by a Core Group of scholars, technical experts, international development partners and teachers whose names and addresses are contained in this publication. Professor Grace Offorma, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka was the Chair Person of the Committee that managed the 2008 Professional Qualifying Examination and again she chaired the validation of the current Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination Benchmark. Therefore, our immense gratitude goes to Professor Grace Offorma and her various teams that helped to make the Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination a reality in Nigeria.\ \ Finally, and above all, the Council is grateful to the National Council on Education, which at several times brainstormed on the issue of professional qualifying examination for teachers and strongly endorsed its commencement. Also to the general stakeholders who spoke out in different forums calling for the examination, TRCN and the teaching profession owe them a great deal of gratitude.**"**