Abuja: The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has announced that approximately 250,000 serving non-professional teachers will be licensed through the Federal Government’s Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this initiative was detailed in a statement by TRCN’s Head of Media, Esther Chiwar. The programme, spearheaded by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, aims to provide necessary professional training and licensing for unqualified teachers.
Chiwar mentioned that the ATPP will be implemented in phases, targeting teachers in both public and private schools nationwide. The programme is designed to equip untrained teachers with essential skills and certification while allowing them to continue their service. Those who complete the ATPP examination will qualify for the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) by TRCN, eventually leading to their registration as qualified teachers and issuance of professional licences.
The implementation of the ATPP will be driven by TRCN in collaboration with the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, along with support from agencies like the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
Chiwar noted that the ATPP addresses the challenge faced by teachers lacking recognised professional qualifications or licences, often possessing degrees in non-education fields without undergoing formal teacher training. This lack of qualifications has hindered career progression and exposed teachers to possible sanctions, which ATPP aims to rectify by offering professional qualification opportunities without job disruption.
The six-month programme offers two pathways: a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) for graduates of non-education disciplines and a Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) for those with a National Diploma. Both pathways involve four months of blended learning and two months of supervised teaching practice within participants’ schools.
The blended learning will include online modules, virtual facilitation, and assessments. The teaching practice enables participants to apply their training in real classrooms while remaining in their roles. Successful participants will sit for the TRCN’s Professional Qualifying Examination, with certification and licensing covered by the programme fee. The initiative plans to map about 250,000 teachers for participation across federal, state, and local government levels.