The Teachers Registration Council was established in 1993 by Decree (now Act) 31 of 1993. The council was established after many years where teachers and other stakeholders had agitated long and hard for the establishment of a regulatory agency for the teaching profession in Nigeria.
The Teachers Registration Council (TRCN) was established as an agency of the Federal Ministry of Education. The agency was established as an instrument to control and standardize the Teaching Profession in Nigeria.
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria: History & Roles
The legal backing of the establishment of TRCN has great implications for the teaching profession in Nigeria. Every profession has councils that regulate and control its operations. Take, for example, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, etc. All these professions have their own agencies that regulates the activities of professionals and also help to set the tone for the way the professions are perceived by the general public. The Act that establishes the Teachers Registration Council has the same content with the Acts that established the Councils that regulate other professions. The first implication is that those who want to be teachers have to go through standardized processes of registration and approval which would set them apart as professionals rather than quack or laypeople. Are you an aspiring teacher or are one already and you want to know more about the Teachers Registration Council? This article provides you with information and all you need to know about the agency. Read on below:
The Teachers Registration Council was set up with the aim of controlling and regulating all operations and activities of teachers; to include education, training and practice at all levels and in all areas of the Nigerian education system. The council is to ensure that every teacher in the Nigeria educational system matches up with international standards in terms of professionalism and ethical conduct.
Basically, the Teachers Registration Council exists to promote excellence and professionalism in the education sector. The Council achieves this through various methods and activities, which are:
- Effective registration and licensing of teachers
- Approval and accreditation of teachers
- Monitoring and supervision of teachers through training programmes
- Organizing professional development programmes and maintaining discipline among teachers at all levels of the education system.
Functions of the Teachers Registration Council
With the Teachers Registration Council lies the ultimate responsibility to determine who is and who is not a teacher. The Council provides the necessary information about the teaching profession so as to set the standards for becoming a teacher. The general culture in Nigeria where anyone can just go into the teaching profession will not hold anymore. This is because every teacher must follow certain standards and rules that have been established by the TRCN.
The Teachers Registration Council determines the relevant knowledge and skills teachers are meant to have.
The Teachers Registration Council also has the power to raise these standards as it deems fit.
Registration of teachers: The Teachers Registration Council is the body that qualifies teachers to the teaching profession based on their level of training. The body sets the rules for the teachers to acquire a certain level of training.
Approval, registration and enlisting of qualified teachers
The Teachers Registration Council approves institutions that train teachers. Hence, the body is involved in the maintenance of teachers’ institutions such as The National Teachers Institute, Polytechnics, Education Institutes and Facilities in Nigeria, Colleges and Schools of Education
Organization of training and Internship Programs
The Teachers Registration Council organizes training and internship programmes for fresh graduates from educational institutions. This is to equip new teachers with relevant knowledge and skills that will help them teach as professionals.
Organizing Assessment Tests and Examinations
The Teachers Registration Council conducts examinations and testing for teachers to determine qualified teachers
The Teachers Registration Council is responsible for enforcing professional ethics to teachers in Nigeria.
The Teachers Registration Council is empowered to prosecute offending, false or unqualified teachers
The Teachers Registration Council is a body that acts as a voice for the teachers. The TRCN is a body that represents the rights of teachers all over the country.
Activities of the Teachers Registration Council
After the establishment of the Teachers Registration Council, it became unlawful for anyone to engage in the teaching profession without registration and approval of the TRCN. Employers and other officials who employ unqualified/unregistered teachers are just as guilty of the same offence.
The Teachers Registration Council has put in much effort in assisting unqualified teachers to get qualified. There is a lot of pressure on unqualified teachers so the TRCN stepped up to help. For example, TRCN collaborated with the Institute of Education of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria to work out a new teacher education programme called Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) for teachers to upgrade to.
Qualification for Registration
If you want to be registered as a professional teacher, there are certain criteria that must be met. These are:
A teaching qualification not lower in standards than the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). This is the minimum standard as stipulated by the National Policy on Education. Teachers who had only a Teachers Grade Two certificate stopped being registered from 2006.
Problems of the TRCN
The TRCN has encountered some challenges in carrying out its functions. First of which is poor funding. There is need to raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the Council so the Council can perform its roles better.
Professionalism is the most fundamental need of any vocation for it to be considered successful. In order to restore the glory of the teaching profession, there is need for the TRCN to keep up with its activities. This way the education sector will deliver better and qualitative services to the society. The activities of the TRCN will ensure that only those that are well trained teach, which will improve the educational sector in Nigeria. TRCN will also ensure that professional ethics are imbibed and obeyed by all teachers, irrespective of the levels of educational qualifications. This way the education sector will be improved and there will be greater national development.