By Ngozi Nwankwo
As part of efforts to strengthen its regulatory powers, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, on Wednesday, disclosed that it has approached the National Assembly for amendment to the Act establishing the Council to change its name to Teachers Regulatory Council of Nigeria.
Registrar of TRCN, Prof Josiah Ajiboye stated this in Abuja while speaking as Guest Lecturer at the 24th Annual Seminar of the Nigerian Academy of Education with the theme: “Professionalisation of Teaching in Nigeria, Past, Present and Future.”
Ajiboye said although TRCN conducts registration of teachers, it performs other regulatory functions in terms of ensuring quality, monitoring and accreditation of programmes as well as providing training programmes for teachers.
“Part of things we are looking forward to in the future is a change in the name of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria to the Teacher Regulatory Council of Nigeria; it’s the same TRCN. Actually, the idea behind that is that when you hear about the teachers’ registration council, people normally think that the function of TRCN is limited to registration of teachers.
“And we say no; although we register the teachers, we perform other regulatory functions in terms of ensuring quality, monitoring and accreditation of programmes and things like that. And then training programmes for teachers.
“So, we do more of regulation than just registration of teachers. We are not limited to registering teachers only. It’s the Teachers’ Regulatory Council that would actually capture the essence of what we do at the level of TRCN. And that is why we are making that proposal to the House Committee on Basic Education,” he said.
On how far the House Committee on Basic Education has progressed with the amendment, he said it has organised a public hearing on it and the council is looking forward to seeing the amendment through.
Ajiboye noted that the teaching profession is the major driver of the educational system as teachers are the determinant of quality education in any country.
Describing teachers as nation builders, he said teaching is the mother of all professions which creates other professions.
