Registrar of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Olusegun Ajiboye, has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to increase the cut-off marks for candidates seeking admission to study education courses in tertiary institutions.
Ajiboye who spoke in Ibadan on Thursday, added that JAMB should increase the cut-off marks to make admission into colleges and faculties of education stricter to ensure the best brains enter the nation’s teaching profession.
He made the call while presenting the 488th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan entitled “Teaching: In the Classroom as a Regulator”.
He stated that lowering the cut-off for education courses will negatively impact the quality of people who eventually will enter classrooms to teach Nigerian children.
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Ajiboye who is Professor of Social Studies, Civic and Environmental Studies at the University of Ibadan, stated that cut-off to education related courses should rank among the highest.
He said, “Admission into colleges of education and Faculties of Education in Nigeria should be stricter. The current practice is dangerous for the future of our education. Those who want to teach our children should be the best in our society and not the dregs.
“The UTME cut-off marks into colleges of Education and Faculties of Education, if possible, should rank among the highest. The hydra-headed crisis of quality and quantity of teachers demands a strong policy response. Rebuilding the system should take into account how the once cherished vocation, the mother of all professions should attract the best brains and retain them.”
According to Ajiboye, Nigeria needs to urgently review of her teacher education policy and programs in order to produce 21st century teachers.
He posited that teacher training, welfare and an environment that promote learning must be pursued and provided for best learning outcomes.
The TRCN boss stated that COVID-19 has challenged Nigeria’s education system, adding that it is important that teacher education program be reviewed to meet modern day challenges of globalization and post-COVID era.
He said : “We must urgently do a review of our teacher education policy and program to produce teachers for the 21st century classroom. The rest of the world is not waiting for Nigeria. Professional training is critical, just as mastery of subject matter, teachers’ welfare and an environment that promotes learning.
‘It is, therefore, important to stress the fact that the need for a review of our teacher education program is long overdue. To meet the challenges of globalization, efforts should be put in place for an immediate review of the curricular, methodology, motivation and resources components of our program.
“Teaching today demands a lot more of sophistication than previously, therefore pre-service teachers needs to be adequately equipped to meet the classroom demands. It is, therefore, incumbent upon governments through their respective Ministries to ensure that quality education is provided to our youth.
“For quality education to be achieved there must be adequate quality teachers who have gone through quality training, hence the need to re-brand and re-profile the teacher. For this to be realized there is the need to regulate the teaching profession with a view to ensuring the provision of quality teachers for quality teaching and learning.”
