The Lagos State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged its members to register with  the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) in order to retain their jobs.

The state Chairman of NUT, Mr Adesegun Raheem, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.

Raheem said it was now mandatory for all teachers in the country to be professionals if they were interested in their jobs.

He noted that the TRCN had set 2017 as the deadline for all teachers in the country to professionalise.

NAN recalls that the TRCN had said that by January 2018, it would clamp down on teachers who were not registered and licensed to practise as well as schools without licensed teachers.

He said that in 1993 the NUT struggled for the establishment of the council, pointing out that since then teaching had been a profession.

“Since then we have been making our teachers to understand who is a teacher and the need to be registered as a professional.

“There are about 30,000 teachers in Lagos and 90 per cent of them have keyed in.

“Only few have yet to participate and the union will ensure that the remaining ones get registered,” he said.

Raheem also commended the state government for releasing the promotion letters of the deserving teachers and the payment of their three months promotion arrears.

The chairman assured government of the determination of the teachers to improve the standard of education in the state.

He, however, stressed the need for the restoration of some allowances paid to teachers in the state.

NAN