The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) conducted its Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) in May, witnessing the participation of approximately 13,000 aspiring teachers across the nation. This mandatory examination serves as a crucial gateway for individuals seeking to enter the teaching profession in Nigeria, ensuring a baseline level of competence and professionalism. The PQE is a prerequisite for TRCN certification, which officially licenses teachers to practice in the country. The examination, administered nationwide, underscores the TRCN’s commitment to upholding teaching standards and enhancing the quality of education provided in Nigerian schools. This large-scale assessment of aspiring educators signifies a significant step towards professionalizing the teaching workforce and establishing a recognized benchmark for teacher quality.
The Acting Registrar of TRCN, Stella Nwokeocha, provided an update on the examination’s progress while monitoring the exercise at the Computer-Based Test Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria in Abuja. She confirmed the participation of roughly 13,700 candidates across various testing centers throughout the country. Reports from these centers indicated a generally smooth and hitch-free process, highlighting the effective organization and administration of the PQE. However, due to the rescheduling of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the PQE was also rescheduled in certain states, including Lagos and those in the South East, with some examinations taking place on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively. This adaptability demonstrates the TRCN’s responsiveness to unforeseen circumstances and its commitment to ensuring that all eligible candidates have the opportunity to take the PQE.
Further endorsements of the examination’s successful execution came from Dr. Saliu Mustapha, Chairman of the TRCN Governing Board, who commended the smooth conduct and high turnout of participants at the Abuja center. He emphasized the significance of the PQE in the ongoing efforts to sanitize the teaching profession, highlighting its role in identifying and credentialing qualified educators. Dr. Mustapha’s remarks align with the broader objective of raising the professional standards within the Nigerian education system, ensuring that classrooms are staffed with competent and certified teachers. This focus on quality assurance is vital for improving learning outcomes and fostering a more robust educational landscape.
Dr. Mustapha also highlighted the ongoing digitization efforts led by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, aimed at leveraging technology to weed out unqualified teachers. He envisioned a comprehensive database of registered teachers, accessible to the public, empowering parents to verify the credentials of their children’s educators. This transparency initiative is a crucial step toward accountability and informed decision-making for parents, ensuring that they can confidently entrust their children’s education to qualified professionals. The ability to verify teacher registration status online would not only empower parents but also incentivize schools, particularly private institutions, to prioritize hiring certified teachers, further strengthening the overall quality of education.
Ismaila Adiatu, representing the Minister of Education, echoed the positive assessment of the examination’s conduct, further validating the TRCN’s successful organization and execution of the PQE. This collaborative approach between the Ministry of Education and the TRCN underscores the shared commitment to enhancing the teaching profession and ensuring that all students have access to qualified educators. The alignment of goals between these key stakeholders is essential for driving meaningful change and improvement within the education sector.
Finally, Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, Director of Certification and Licensing at TRCN, announced the anticipated release of the PQE results within a week of the examination’s conclusion. This prompt turnaround time is crucial for candidates eager to learn their results and proceed with their teaching careers. The efficient processing of results demonstrates the TRCN’s commitment to a streamlined and effective certification process, facilitating the timely entry of qualified teachers into the profession. This swift action further reinforces the TRCN’s dedication to enhancing the quality and professionalism of the teaching workforce in Nigeria.
