By Our Correspondent
Teachers Research Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has pledged its readiness to participate in the recruitment of 500,000 graduate teachers proposed by the federal government.
The newly appointed Registrar/Chief Executive of the council, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye stated in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen that the idea of the federal government to recruit more teachers was a welcome development, but noted that the TRCN must be included in all the processes for the sake of quality assurance.
Ajiboye lamented the spate of quackery in the teaching profession and promised to “have a comprehensive data on the number of registered and qualified teachers in Nigeria”.
“The quality of education of a nation is strongly influenced by the quality of its teachers. We must be fully involved in the entire recruitment process so that the quality of persons to be recruited through the scheme as teachers is ascertained,” he said.
The TRCN boss enjoined state coordinators to ensure that teachers recruited in their states were fully registered, saying that the Council would not relent in her efforts at ensuring that every qualified teacher in the country was certified and licensed by TRCN.
He stated that the Council would do a state by state analysis of the number of teachers already registered, certified and licensed, saying this would help in the production of reliable data of teachers within the shortest possible time.
He, therefore, assured the Council’s staff that a reward mechanism would be put in place to appreciate exceptional performances in all areas of the Council’s activities.
“We shall prioritise the Mandatory Professional Development Programme (MPDP) for teachers. We shall also flush out quacks from the teaching profession.” he stressed, adding that the mandates of the Council must be the guide in repositioning TRCN.
The Registrar, therefore, called for the full support of the management team of the Council in his quest to foster the needed development in line with the change mantra of the present administration.
Ajiboye, who said he had carried out a familiarisation tour of the TRCN Headquarters, Abuja, identifying their challenges and work conditions through one-on-one interactions with staff, commended the immediate past Registrar/CEO for his efforts at restoring the lost glory of the Nigerian teachers.
