Nigeria has over 207,818 fake, unqualified teachers in primary schools —TRCN Registrar
The school where the common man’s children who are in the majority attend
THE Registrar and Chief Executive of Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, has disclosed that over 207,818 fake and unqualified teachers are teaching in primary schools across the country.
He said this has accounted for the poor quality outcome at the basic education level in Nigeria.
Ajiboye spoke on Wednesday, in Abuja, while presenting a paper at the symposium marking the 2017 World Teachers Day, with a theme: “Empowering Nigerian Teachers for the 21st Century Challenges.”
While quoting a survey conducted by the Federal government in 2010, the TRCN Registrar, disclosed that the North-East has the highest figure of unqualified teachers as the situation degenerated with the invasion of the Boko Haram insurgents in the zone.
He regretted that the politicisation of education in the country was the main reason for the influx of unqualified teachers in the system today.
He also lamented that teachers have been endangered species since the beginning of Boko Haram attacks, saying from 2009 till date, over 611 teachers were killed and 19,000 displaced in the North Eastern part of the country.
He, however, said the dearth of qualified teachers was not limited to Nigeria, adding that the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), had projected that the World’s needs at 2015 would nothing less than 5.24 million.
He said a study by UNESCO also indicated that the global shortage of teachers at primary and lower secondary levels of education would persist to 2030 and beyond with Africa and Arab States as the wort hit by teacher shortages.
Ajiboye, said: “In the case of Nigeria, the annual teacher gap, estimated by some body, is such that only 1.2% of its population can adequately fill up.
“The implication of shortage of teachers for the basic education level presupposes that there is attribution in the number of subscribers to the train-the-teacher programme, a service exclusively being rendered by the teacher training institutions in Nigeria,” he said.
He said the TRCN based on the enabling laws has commenced the process of professionalisation of teaching in Nigeria, disclosing that since inception the Council has registered and certified over 1.8 million teachers.
He called on stakeholders to join hands with the government in the efforts to restore the dignity and prestige the teacher had in the past.
He said rebuilding the system should take into account how the once cherished vocation, “the mother of all professions” should attract the best brains and retain them, saying this requiring professional training, mastery of subject matter, teachers’ welfare and an environment that promotes learning.
National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), speaking at the event, called for the provision of infrastructure and technology for enhanced quality education delivery.