The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has conducted its Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) for 16,614 teachers nationwide, marking another milestone in the drive for professionalization in the teaching sector.
Acting Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of TRCN, Dr. Stella-Maria Nwokeocha, who monitored the examination in Abuja alongside officials from the Federal Ministry of Education, commended the smooth conduct of the exercise.
However, she highlighted the agency’s financial challenges following its removal from the list of organizations directly funded by the Federal Government.
Dr. Nwokeocha lamented that the council has been forced to cut operational costs and rely heavily on development partners for its survival, which has made essential activities like staff training and payment of emoluments particularly difficult.
“We met so many challenges but try to cut down on costs; everything boils down to sacrifice,” she said. “I praise the staff of the agency because they have been very understanding. For something like training, we had to cut down drastically and instead conduct group sessions.”
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She appealed for improved funding, urging the government to reinstate the council in its funding plan or at least take up staff salary payments.
Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, TRCN’s Director of Certification and Licensing, explained that the PQE serves as a prerequisite for licensing and certifying teachers, ensuring they meet the professional standards required to teach in classrooms across Nigeria.
She noted that recent technological advancements have been integrated into the examination process to enhance efficiency. Among these is a new app that generates examination numbers for candidates automatically, replacing the previously manual process.
Dr. Ezeahurukwe also noted that the app includes impersonation detection features, ensuring that only registered candidates are allowed to sit for the exams.
“We are getting to a point where every candidate will be registering online. Each year we improve on our processes. As you can see today, the exam is more seamless than before because we have also tried to manage the crowd,” she said.
She explained that very soon all candidates would have to enroll online and generate their examination details themselves.
The TRCN emphasized its commitment to ensuring that only qualified and certified professionals are allowed to teach, positioning the council as a key player in improving the quality of education in Nigeria.