Federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday directed the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria to publicize the data of quacks and unqualified teachers per state in Nigeria.

The House also approved the call for the rehabilitation of Unity Schools across the country.

The approvals followed the adoption of recommendations of two different reports, titled, “Bill for an Act to Amend the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria Act, Cap. T3, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to ensure that only Licensed or Registered and Qualified Persons who Exhibit thorough Professional Conduct Teach in Schools and provide for stiffer Penalties and Punishment for Unregistered and Unqualified Teachers; and for Related Matters and a Call for the Rehabilitation of Unity School across Nigeria”, presented by its Committee on Basic Education and Services.”

Presenting the report on qualifications of teachers, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, explained that the Nigeria Union of Teachers and other agencies are in consonance with the provision of the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria Act, that a teacher must possess a minimum qualification of Nigeria Certificate in Education and must be registered, certified and licensed.

He said there is need to re-introduce the Teachers Assessment Test to ascertain the quality of teachers; that there is need for the teachers to be inducted by the TRCN after pre-service training before being given employment; that there is a need to strengthen agency’s Act to enable it to monitor the recruitment exercise of teachers at all levels of government.

He also said there is an urgent need to make the teaching profession attractive through the enactment of a Teacher’s Salary Structure as it is obtainable in other professions like Nigerian Maritime Authority, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited etc with a view to boosting their morale.

On rehabilitation of Unity schools, He said that Federal Government should as a matter of urgency improve the meager budgetary allocation and releases to the Federal Unity Colleges, with a four- year budgetary funding plan formulated toward the complete overhaul of the Colleges and restore them back to its glory.

Other recommendations approved were: “the National Senior Secondary Education Commission should be adequately funded to address instructional materials and infrastructural facilities, teacher development requirement of the Federal Unity Colleges. Associations like Old Student‘s Bodies and Parent Teachers Association ( PTA) that have been contributing immensely to the development of some of these schools should be encouraged to take up more viable projects across the schools to reduce government burden.

“it is time to involve high net-worth individuals, Banks and other business concerns in the revamping and reconstructions of the FUCs, if they are to survive and remain relevant to their mandates; a voluntary “Adopt a school” Committee shall be set up by the Federal Government to ensure that relevant agencies, Corporations and individuals contribute to the development of the FUC’s; and that the budgetary Meal Subsidies allocation should be increased to N2000 for student per meal,” it recommended. (Daily Independent)

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