CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU
A total of 12,539 teachers have written the May Diet of the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) for teachers across the country conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
TRCN conducts the examinations to test the professional knowledge of those in the teaching profession while certificates obtained from the examination are valid for life.
Speaking during the examinations in Abuja on Saturday, the Director, Certification and Licensing, TRCN, Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, said the teachers are tested on basic foundation courses in education which ensures that they are licensed before going into the classrooms.
“The areas the teachers are tested in are professional knowledge. Our examination is not subject-based because what we are looking at is professional knowledge, skills and conduct.
“We have the professional standard for Nigerian teachers and even school leaders. This standard stipulates the knowledge; skills that every teacher is expected to have and exhibit in the profession. These teachers are tested based on basic foundation courses in education,” she said.
Ezeahurukwe also stated that the impact of the examination was being felt both nationally and internationally, adding that Nigeria is one of five African countries whose teachers are allowed to apply for the Qualifying Teachers Status, a legal requirement to teach in many schools in the United Kingdom.
“You can’t just walk to a class and say you are a teacher without being registered and licensed by the TCRN. The professional examination is one of the prerequisites for being registered and licensed. Since 2017, we have started and it has come to stay,” she said.
While presenting details of the examination, Ezeahurukwe said Benue had the highest number of registered candidates with 1416, followed by Osun state with 1410, while Cross River and Ebonyi got the least number with 59 and 69 respectively.
She explained that the number of teachers that registered for the examination this year decreased compared to other years because many graduating students are also caught at the point of graduation where they take the PQE after their final examination.
“The examination is conducted for them in schools… majority of our graduating students now register at the point of graduation so they are not outside here now to battle with these ones who graduated earlier and have not registered,” she noted.
