December 2019 is deadline for teachers to acquire professional license – Minister

Prof. Anthony Anwukah, the Minister of State for Education, says the deadline for teachers to acquire their professional license is December, 2019.

Anwukah made this known at a news conference to mark the 2018 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the minister, the license can be obtained from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

He said that attainment of a global competitive and quality education was through teachers’ adherence to professionalism.

“In order to enhance professionalism in the teaching profession, it is now required of every teacher to register and obtain a professional license from the TRCN.

“This is in tandem with international best practices as a means of updating the professionals on issues germane to their growth and development in the profession.

“Also, in line with the philosophy of the National Policy on Education, the Federal Government through the ministry of education has been setting aside annually resources to improve the education sector through budgetary.

“However, due to funding constraints arising from the dwindling national revenue and the demand of other equally important sectors, the annual capital outlay for education has not been adequate.’’

He stressed the need for every teacher to register and obtain a professional license, saying improving teachers’ quality was necessary through professsionalisation.

The minister of state said that there was the urgent need to address the challenges confronting education as a matter of concern to the federal ministry of education.

He identified funding as a major problem facing the education sector, saying it had been hindering critical needs of the sector.

Anwukah further emphasised that the teaching profession had been neglected by many Nigerians due partly to unattractive remuneration teachers.

The minister of state made a reference to Malaysia where the teachers received the highest salary unlike in Nigeria where teachers were poorly paid.

He, however, said that the ministry had made efforts to curb some of the challenges by allocating funds for Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme through Universal Basic Education Commission.

He said that a creation of Teacher Education Development Fund Account (TEDFA) had also been done to support teachers across the nation.

“For quality education, these teachers who are recruited must be properly trained and not just pushed into the teaching profession since this is where the future of Nigeria lies.

“The problem facing teachers is a global issue and not just restricted in Nigeria but other countries have been around to handle it judiciously because they have agencies coming to their rescue.

“We must not fold our hands and watch our education system crumbling; the ministry is working toward establishing a foundation to assist teachers.

Our correspondent reports that the 2018 theme for the World Teachers Day is “The Right to Education means the Right to a Qualified Teacher”.

It was reported that the news conference was part of activities to commemorate the World Teachers Day holding on Oct. 5, to celebrate the contributions of teachers to nation-building.