Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Federal Government has vowed not to employ persons without the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) certificate and license in the bid to professionalise teaching in the country.

Registrar, TRCN, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye made the disclosure while speaking on the communique issued at the end of the three-day workshop on implementation of professional standards for Nigerian teachers held at University of Ibadan.

The communique which was signed by the Registrar resolved that TRCN certificate and license should be used as part of the requirements for the employment of teachers in all states in the country.

Ajiboye said the meeting resolved that there should be periodic examination of teachers to validate their licenses in such a way that teachers who do not meet the criteria could be allowed to undergo in-service, in-house training or even a full-time programme and those who are unable to cope should be shown the way out of the classroom.

The communique according to Ajiboye further recommended to Federal and state governments to ensure that only registered teachers are those making policies on education.

While recognizing the reluctance of lecturers in tertiary institutions from registering with TRCN, Ajiboye added that lecturers with doctoral degrees in tertiary institutions are enjoined to enrol for Post-doctoral Diploma in Education (PDDE).

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Onwuka, had at the workshop, called on all teachers including professors without the requisite teaching qualification to enrol for the qualification without further delay.

He declared that beginning from 2018 the Federal Government will move against all unqualified teachers in the system no matter how highly placed.

He stated further that TRCN will soon put in place mechanism to identify fake certificate and licenses and sanction perpetrators, adding that there will not be room for sabotage in the education sector.