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TRCN mulls compulsory one year internship programme for fresh graduate teachers

By Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
29 September 2017   |   4:15 am
The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) is considering introducing one year compulsory Internship Programme Scheme for fresh education graduates...

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) is considering introducing one year compulsory Internship Programme Scheme for fresh education graduates to enable them to improve critical skills required discharging their professional responsibilities.

The Registrar of the council, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, who dropped the hint in Enugu yesterday during the council’s Zonal meeting with critical stakeholders in the southeast zone, stated that the idea was part of efforts to make teaching profession worthwhile, attractive and productive.

Explaining that the council was concerned about continuous professional development of teachers, he stated that time had gone when teachers could not effectively impact knowledge; stressing that such development has had negative effect on the society.

Ajiboye said that the country would only get better when teachers deliver according to their responsibilities, explaining that there was no going back in the move to make teaching one of the best professions to move the country forward.

He said, “we are determined to change the system and to start up the one year internship programmes for teachers as soon as plans are concluded. By the end of the day, the whole country will know that we are getting the system back as it should. When this idea is approved at the national level we will start implementation without looking back.

“Our idea is that if lawyers can finish from their various institutions and universities and they will go to do one year in law school, there is nothing stopping those who finished education in various colleges of education and faculties of education from doing a one year internship programme before they are registered as teachers.

“The idea is to train the teachers very well, to produce those 21st century teachers that will be able to deliver excellently and we fill that look, they will still need some intensive training in the area of pedagogy to enable them cope with the challenges of teaching and that is why we are trying to propose a one year internship programme for teachers.

“Like medical doctors will do Housemanship after their six years programme, the same thing, we are thinking that for teaching to be a profession that we all desire there should also be a one year internship programme to train on the principles and tactics of education in the will- be teachers.”

Speaking about the forthcoming computer base Professional Qualifying Examination, the TRCN Boss said the essence was to enable those who passed to become registered teacher. He added that the exam will be held twice yearly and the first has been selected to hold on October 14, 2017.

He however emphasized that teachers training programmes cannot take the place of the one year internship scheme, adding that they are all different progammes.

On his part, the Commission for Education Enugu State, Professor Uche Eze in his address said he was happy that education has ceased to be all comers’ affairs, commending the Council for their efforts.

Eze who described himself as registered teacher said the only way to take education to where it ought to be was by being professional.

He urged teachers to be proud of their profession and the association and also encouraged them to get registered with the organisation. He advised that it should not just be about registering alone but getting involved in the training aspect to make them proud teachers at the end.

The Executive Chairman Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board
(ASUBEB), Awka, Nzemeka Olisah, regretted that teachers are not treated well in Nigeria when compared to other countries.

Olisah who said no child wants to be a teacher in this country any longer because of the way they are treated, however said that, ‘we need people who are determined to get there’.

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