TRCN Conducts Professional Qualifying Examination For 12,539 Teachers

BY NGOZI NWANKWO, ABUJA – The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), the body responsible for conducting examination to test the professional knowledge of those in the teaching profession, has said it conducted the May 2024 Diet professional qualifying examination (PQE) for total of 12,539 teachers across the country.

Speaking during the examinations in Abuja on Saturday, the Director, Certification and Licensing of TRCN, Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, said the teachers were tested on basic foundation courses in education which ensured that they are licenced before going into the classrooms.

Ezeahurukwe said; “The areas the teachers are tested in are professional knowledge. Our examination is not subject based because what we are looking at is the 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 further said that the impact of the examination was being felt both national and international, adding that Nigeria is one of the five African countries that their teachers are allowed to apply for the Qualifying Teachers Status, a legal requirement to teach in many schools in the United Kingdom.

According to her; “You can’t just walk to a class and say you are a teacher without being registered and licenced by the TCRN. The professional examination is one of the prerequisites of being registered and licensed. Since 2017, we have started and it has come to stay”.

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 States got the least numbers with 59 and 69 respectively.

The TRCN Director explained that the number of teachers that registered for the examination this year showed a decrease when compared to other years saying that this might be as a result of the many graduating students that are usually captured at the point of graduation where they take the PQE after their final examination.

She also said; “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 the ones who graduated earlier and have not registered”.