Chidimma UCHEGBU
The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), has refuted claims by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), that the council was asking people holding its certificates to rewrite professional qualifying examination.
Registrar of TRCN, Prof Josiah Ajiboye, in a statement on Saturday, in Abuja, dismissed the claims which were contained in a letter by the Senate President of NANS, Akinteye Babatunde.
Ajiboye explained that TRCN certificate is obtained once in a lifetime, adding that once the certificate is acquired, it is valid for life, and that only TRCN license is renewable every three years as it is being done in other professions.
Babatunde had, in a letter, incorrectly credited TRCN with a certificate renewal policy, raising concerns that it would further impoverish Nigerian teachers and lead to shortage of teachers as many may fail to renew their certificates.
Describing the alleged policy as draconian and insensitive, he had said it fails to take into account the status of an average Nigerian Student and the realities of Nigeria’s present economy.
He had stated that reasons for non collection of certificates from TRCN within the year may vary, calling on the council to release all withheld certificates to their bearers and immediately expunge the alleged insensitive policy of its system.
“Apart from the fact that this insensitive policy of yours is a time waster, it will also in no time add salt to the nation’s injuries of joblessness and poverty.
“Furthermore, the policy has raised concerns about its impact on the quality of education in Nigeria. If teachers are forced to leave the profession due to the undue expiration of their certificates, there would definitely be a shortage of qualified teachers, which would have a negative impact on the quality of education.
“It would also lead to a decline in the quality of education in Nigeria, which is already in a state of crisis. The TRCN needs to remove this policy, taking into account the present delicate economic realities of the country,” he said.
However, Ajiboye responded that TRCN’s new policy is on validity of TRCN Professional Qualifying Examination results and not renewal of its certificates.
“Hitherto, we have noticed that many people who passed the TRCN exam failed to register immediately to collect their certificates. Some who passed the exam for several years hold on to the results and refused to register (2018, 2019 …up to 2022 results).
“Management of TRCN met late last year and directed our State Coordinators to inform all institutions and other stakeholders that TRCN results will now be valid for 1 year. If you passed the PQE you MUST register within 1 year, and if you fail to do so, it means you will write the examination again.
“So, I wouldn’t know where the idea of failure to collect certificate leading to another exam is coming from. For clarity, the new policy is that TRCN PQE result is only valid for 1 year for anyone to obtain TRCN certificate,” he said.
