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By Joseph Erunke, ABUJA

THE Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, Prof Josiah Ajiboye, has explained that the need for teachers in the country to meet the expectations of their country necessitated the need for his organisation to train them.

He said the teaching professionalisation drive which TRCN was undertaking was aimed at
holistic development of the Nigerian teacher through training and retraining besides exposing them to the best knowledge and technics that will enable them to deliver effectively in their carrier as well as position them to compete favourably in the global arena.

The TRCN,who said this in Ibadan, Oyo State,at the opening of TRCN’S capacity building workshop on accelerating teacher’s classroom delivery in mathematics, English studies and ICT for teachers in the Southwest geo-political, insisted that the country needed teachers that will meet its teaching expectations.

“Nigeria needs teachers who will meet the nation’s expectations; teachers who will help the nation raise a generation of citizens whose performance will meet the international standards; a generation who will be prosperous, vibrant and peaceful.”

“We cannot achieve the expected quality education without competent teachers and school administrators, well equipped with the desirable knowledge, skills and effective operations of the education system.”
According to him, through teacher capacity building, TRCN aims to constantly equip the teachers with the necessary knowledge, orientation and exposure to empower them to meet society’s expectations,”he said.

Speaking further,Prof. Ajiboye said:“Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) is a critical element of every great profession because it serves as a means by which professionals increase their knowledge, skills, ethics, and competence over time.”

“The objective of Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) is to open teachers up to new ideas in the teaching profession around the globe. The MCPD also allows teachers to develop and demonstrate their profound competence against set standards. Such an opportunity is intended to be original, creative, and thought-provoking.

“This explains why this year’s MCPD focuses on Accelerating Teachers’ Classroom Delivery in Mathematics, English Studies, and ICT,”he added.

Speaking at the event, Raji Oladimeji Ismail, the Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), commended the management of TRCN for the holistic turnaround of the teaching profession in Nigeria.

“Today, teaching has not only been professionalised, it has turned and retooled to be a distinct profession in Nigeria courtesy of the leadership sagacity of Professor Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye and his team,” Ismail said.

He stressed that teachers must continuously undergo training sessions to stay abreast of global trends, particularly in technology.