By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos—The Plateau State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has decried the influx of amateurs into the teaching profession which it says is contributing to the low standard of education in the state.

Gov. Simon Lalung of Plateau State

The State Chairman of the Union, Mr. Gunshin Yarlings , who disclosed this yesterday in Jos promised that the union will resist attempt to make teaching profession an “all comers affairs”.

He added that all hands must be on deck in sanitizing the profession if Nigeria really wants to improve on its education sector.

Yarlings was reacting to government’s proposed plan to recruit 500,000 teachers, adding that the exercise must be transparent and conducted with professionalism as, “we will resist attempt by anybody to make teaching an allcomers affairs.”

He maintained that only National Certificate in Education (NCE) holders, Education degree holders and other teaching recognized certificates should be engaged in teaching.

“The education sector has grossly decayed because unqualified teachers are recruited.”

“Most teachers are recruited base on their ‘connection’ with someone even when they are not qualified. Education in Nigeria needs an overhaul; we need the political will, more budgetary allocation and professionalism for the education sector to be repositioned in Nigeria.”