Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan
Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Mr Olusegun Ajiboye, has expressed readiness of the council to partner with South-West governors towards improving the quality of education in the zone.
He said this at a South-West stakeholders meeting held at University of Ibadan with Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education and Post-Primary Schools Boards to seek for better collaboration and synergy with critical stakeholders in the zone.
He noted that while the region is known for quality education, the recent results from national examinations have not been encouraging, calling for stakeholders'-partnership to see how teachers can drive quality performance.
While acknowledging the importance of governors in the zone playing critical roles in ensuring that only professional registered teachers are employed to teach in public schools, he said it was important for them to ensure that teachers upgrade their knowledge.
Ajiboye who became the Registrar of TRCN in August 2016, stated that the issue of teachers and quality teaching should now be of paramount importance to governors in the zone as no state and by extension country can develop beyond the quality of its teachers.
He said part of the partnership with the governors would include offering advise on how to incentivise teaching to create healthy rivalry that brings out the best in all teachers.
He said, "While no country can develop beyond the level of its education, no education can develop beyond the quality of its teachers. Teachers hold the pivotal role in the development of any state or country. Developed countries trace their development to their teachers. Our states and country cannot be an exception. The teacher is critical for that effective human capital development that the country desires. And all hands must be on deck to improve the quality of our teachers in Nigeria. Hence States in southwest need to support TRCN in its drive for teacher professionalism."
While thanking governments in the southwest of the country for working with the council to upgrade education quality, he further sought support of governors of southwest in ensuring teachers in their schools are registered and licensed.
Expressing appreciable compliance by public school teachers in registering with the Council, Ajiboye said employing teachers must be based on merit and only professional teachers can deliver the required teachings to southwest children.
Ajiboye assured Nigerian teachers that the council is meeting with highest political office holders in the country including the National assembly members on the issue of Teacher welfare and budgetary allocation to education.
The stakeholders who came from the six Southwest states tasked TRCN to work with state governors to ensure registration of all teachers in the employ of their states and fight for better welfare conditions for teachers and ensure that teacher recruitment by the federal government are done on merit and not on political considerations.
The meeting was attended by delegates from all the states in southwest Nigeria with a promise to further sensitise teachers to get registered and licensed.
