Whereas over 83 per cent public school teachers are registered, an insignificant number of teachers in private schools are registered. This was disclosed by the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria ( TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye.
According to Prof Ajiboye, most private school teachers do not take the teaching profession seriously. ” They see it as a stop-gap. Let me just manage the job until I get something better. They don’t know that Nigerian teachers are in high demand across the globe. There is need for teachers in both public and private schools to train and re-train at intervals. The teachers’ license are renewed every 3 years”.
Speaking on a radio show, Public Square ( Nigeria Info 99.3 FM) , Prof Ajiboye said,
” We have problems with the private schools. A large number of teachers in private schools are not registered. They are cheaters, not teachers. They are not even qualified to be registered. It it the quality of teachers that determine the quality of education in any country. Teachers drive the educational standards across the globe”.
On teachers welfare as a major determinant factor in the drive for professionalism, Prof Ajiboye said, ” efforts are being put in place to ensure that teachers in public schools are encouraged. For example, the TRCN is pushing for government of each state to adopt the policy of ‘ one teacher one laptop’ . The teacher will pay for it in installments”. He concluded.
