The Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Segun Ajiboye, has said that Nigeria need the best brains in the teaching profession.
Presenting the 488th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan entitled “Teaching: In the Classroom as a Regulator.” at the weekend, the TRCN maintained that in doing this, the time has come for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to raise admission into Colleges and Faculties of Education and make it stricter.
Prof Ajiboye pointed out that lowering the cut-off for education courses is negatively affecting the quality of people who eventually will enter classrooms to teach Nigerian children, saying, “Cut-off to education related courses should rank among the highest”.
Prof Ajiboye said: “We must urgently do a review of our teacher education policy and programme to produce teachers for the 21st century classroom. The rest of the world is not waiting for Nigeria. Professional training is critical, just as mastery of subject matter, teachers’ welfare and an environment that promotes learning. It is, therefore, important to stress the fact that the need for a review of our teacher education programme is long overdue”, he said.
“To meet the challenges of globalization, efforts should be put in place for an immediate review of the curricular, methodology, motivation and resources components of our programme. Admission into colleges of education and Faculties of Education in Nigeria should be stricter. The current practice is dangerous for the future of our education. Those who want to teach our children should be the best in our society and not the dregs.”.
“The UTME cut-off marks into colleges of Education and Faculties of Education, if possible, should rank among the highest. The hydra-headed crisis of quality and quantity of teachers demands a strong policy response. 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.”
