From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has said that not all teachers would benefit from the new welfare and career packages recently approved by the Federal Government.
TRCN Registrar, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, encouraged teachers to take advantage of the two-day conference of registered teachers scheduled for next week to gain additional information and skills on how to remain relevant in the profession.
He said teachers that would benefit from the package, must aside being certified by TRCN, be up to date with relevant pedagogical skills and experiences to impart knowledge and skills to students, especially in the post COVID-19 era.
“By the time the implementation of the new policies starts in full, there would be lots of responsibility for TRCN as attested by President Muhammadu Buhari during last Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Teachers should brace up for the challenge of teaching in the post COVID-19 era in order to remain relevant. There’s going to lots of scrutiny on what we do as teachers, and more people may develop interest and want to join the profession.
“However, the age extension may likely not be automatic and applicable to all teachers. After 60 years of service, we would carry out evaluation exercise for such teachers to ascertain to confirm if they can work for additional five years.”
Ajiboye said teachers should be ready to learn, unlearn and relearn in order to remain relevant.
“December 2019 was deadline for non-licensed teachers to vacate the classroom. We started enforcement, but COVID-19 disrupted it. But we are set to resume the enforcement as soon as we see improvement in COVID-19 situation.,” he said.