Governor Nyesom Wike, Rivers State.
Uchendu Moses & Abasifreke Effiong
More than 40 percent of teachers in public schools in Rivers state are yet to be licensed by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN.
TRCN announced earlier this week that teachers who are not licensed will be booted out of classes from March 9th – 17th when it begins enforcement of registration of teachers.
The Nigerian government will next week begin enforcement of the policy that allows only teachers licensed by the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to teach in schools in the country.
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Segun Ajiboye, TRCN Registrar, said the first phase of the compliance monitoring and documentation will take place nationwide between March 9 and 17.
The council had earlier set December 31 last year as the deadline for teachers in both public and private schools to get their licence from the council.
Mr. Ajiboye, who addressed journalists on Wednesday in Ibadan, said 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.
He said TRCN certification is a requirement for employment as teachers in both public and private schools.
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“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 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 the 9th of March and end on the 17th.
Following the announcement, THE DUNE sought to know how many teachers are licensed in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers in Rivers state, Lucky Nkpogene, said about sixty percent of teachers in public schools in Rivers state have complied with the registration of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN.
He said the other teachers who are not registered are on different stages of the exercise.
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Also speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the Rivers state chairman of National Association of Proprietors of Private school, Green Victor, said all teachers in private schools have already complied with the TRCN registration two years ago.
Victor however expressed fears that government may not meet up to all the achievement listed which he said if followed strictly would help grow the teaching who he described as bedrock of the world.
However, some teachers who are processing their registration with TRCN in Rivers state said the procedures for registration are more cumbersome.
Mrs. Peace Njoku and Mr Chibueze Amadi, said the system of registration has changed from what it use to be when it was first introduced.
“One has to undergo picking of form, buying of textbooks and writing of examination to be qualified for the registration”, Njoku said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of NUT in Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Etim Ukpong, refused all attempts made by our correspondent to get him speak on teachers’ compliance with the TRCN registration in the state.
“I don’t want to speak about anything. You have to respect that”, he insisted.
