By Jacinta Nwachukwu
A teacher is perceived as a specialist, a guide, a friend, a counsellor, an expert, a leader, a supporter, a facilitator, and, last but not the least, a model.
Not only does a teacher need all these attributes, but also has to individualise interaction with each student.
On Ideal Teacher and the personal perceived characteristics of someone intending to become a teacher, scholars observe that the majority of people who teach in schools these days consider teaching as an alternative to their desired jobs.
Also, some analysts in the education sector, observe that the reason why students are performing poorly in their examinations is due to inadequate professionals in the school system.
Expressing concern on the quality of education in the school system, Dr Steve Oluwaniyi, the Acting Coordinator, Mathematical Sciences Education Programme at the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) Abuja, says that the majority of teachers in the school system are not trained.
Oluwaniyi says that the teaching profession has become a job option for most people who could not secure their desired jobs.
“For instance; if somebody is not interested in teaching and he or she gets a job in a school, when you ask the person have you gotten a job? The person will say no, I’m just managing in one school.
“So they use the school system as a place where they manage, till when they get the desired jobs, which to them is not in the teaching profession,’’ he said.
He, however, stresses that government at all levels should improve on the condition of service of teachers as such would motivate people to develop interest in the profession.
“Apart from that, there is a need for retraining; retraining of teachers will do a lot because the society is dynamic.
“We have discovered that so many people after graduation don’t have the opportunity for retraining, either for one week or two weeks, so as to build their capacity.
“Unfortunately our governments always pay lip service to the development of schools; the government is not sincere about the actual development of the school system.
“Only about 20 per cent of government, either at the federal, state or local government levels are sincere about their investment in education.
“All others are just making political statements and the teachers will be struggling in an environment that is not conducive for them to deliver efficiently.’’
Oluwaniyi, therefore, appeals to the government at all levels to fund schools and centres that promote learning.
He says that governments should as well monitor schools’ programmes adequately and not just to fund it, but to ensure that the objectives and goals are achieved.
“Nigeria has endowed people; every Nigerian is intelligent if he or she is given the opportunity and the right environment to function,’’ he added.
Corroborating Oluwaniyi’s view, Dr James Ajie, a lecturer in the Centre says that there is a need for teachers to undergo retraining so as to be abreast with new teaching techniques.
Ajie says it is very appalling that teachers, who are expected to be masters in their teaching subjects, did not even understand the subjects; hence students might not learn much from them.
“Because in a situation whereby you have people that study other subjects, teaching mathematics, you cannot teach what you don’t understand and that is the situation we have in some schools.
“The qualification of the teachers is pivotal toward achieving quality education,’’ he says.
In order to ensure that Ideal Teachers are in the right place, the Federal Government is making moves to weed unqualified teachers from the school system.
Speaking on the career path policy, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono, says that plans are under way to adopt a career path policy for Nigerian teachers to stem the spate of unqualified teachers in the country.
Echono says that the policy is designed to give primary and secondary school teachers a clear vision of what the future holds for them as they start the profession.
According to him, a national implementation committee will be set up soon in that respect.
“We are planning to lead entry for those with First Class or Second Class Upper as minimum grade, as we are serious about implementing the policy.
“Whether you are in the private sector, government, community or faith-based school, we will enforce this policy to the fullest.’’
He says that the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) are compiling a database of qualified teachers; that is, those that have been certified and those who have taken the teachers’ professional examination, who are unemployed.
Echono further says that arrangements are being made to enhance remuneration packages for teachers, those teaching sciences and peculiar allowances for teachers taking students with special needs.
“We are currently working on a special teachers’ salary scale. We are finalising the figure with the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission,’’ he adds.
Also speaking, the Registrar of TRCN, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, explains that the council started Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) with 7,000 and rose to over 40,000 in 2019.
Ajiboye says that the 2020 figure dropped to 17, 602 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He says that though the PQE is not an achievement test, it is important to ensure that an individual registers as a professional teacher.
He stresses that the council will not issue teaching certificates and licenses to any teacher without writing the examination.
“We must have committed and qualified teachers; we also want to ensure that the teaching environment is in order,” he adds.
According to him, those who fail any paper have the opportunity to re-enrol and re-write the examination with the next set.
“Those who also passed should go ahead to register at the Centre closest to them, to be able to get their certificates and licences as qualified teachers.”
Ajiboye says that the council will not back down on its position to flush out unregistered or unqualified teachers out of the education system.
“It is not only TRCN’s position, but the position of the National Council on Education and it has to be implemented.
Similarly, the Chief Executive of NMC, Prof. Stephen Onah, says that the Centre also organises training for teachers in the core subject areas of: Mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry and informatics.
He says that the country is not meeting up to international standards in the core subjects, when it comes to the mathematical sciences competition.
“At the International Olympiads competition, students are tested in the core subjects.
“The performance of Nigeria at the international level is not satisfactory and we have decided as a Centre to organise training for teachers in the subject areas.
So all we need is the support of the government and other spirited Nigerians for effective service delivery,’’ he says.
NANFeatures
