Roughly 13,000 teachers nationwide took the May edition of the Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) organised by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) on Saturday.
While supervising the assessment at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) CBT centre in Wuse II, Abuja, TRCN Acting Registrar Stella Maria Nwokeocha gave an overview of the numbers.
“We have a figure of 594 people writing at this centre. There are some other centres in the other states… But altogether, we are looking at around 13,000 plus candidates. 13,700 and something. That’s what we are looking at,” she explained.
Nwokeocha reported smooth proceedings nationwide, noting that a clash with the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) prompted date shifts in certain states.
“All the reports we have been having, they are saying they have completed the exams without any problem. We have not had any negative reports at the moment. This exam continues tomorrow because of the JAMB issue.”
“So we have to shift the dates for those in Lagos and the South East. So some of them will be writing tomorrow, being Sunday, and at Enugu they will be writing on Wednesday,” she said.
At the same venue, TRCN Governing Board Chairman Dr Saliu Mustapha, who also serves as APC National Vice Chairman, praised the turnout and the exam’s orderly conduct, calling the PQE “a critical step toward sanitizing the teaching profession.”
He highlighted “ongoing efforts by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, to weed out unqualified teachers from classrooms through the use of technology,” adding:
“We are trying to make this IT-driven. We want to see that we have a database where all teachers will be found. As time goes on, we may have to make it public… So that if, for example, you have a tutor of Year 3 or Year 4 in your primary school of your children, you can go online to Google.”
“You can see if she is on the platform of the TRCN. If she registers, you know whether she is qualified to take care of your children or not.
“A parent can do that… The Minister has launched an IT-driven platform where all these things are integrated… So, from there, there will be a link that will take you straight to the TRCN.”
“You either register for exams or pay for your certificates and do all these things. So, we have a very mega platform now at the Ministry of Education due to the initiative of the Minister.”
Representing the Minister of Education, Ismaila Adiatu likewise voiced approval: “I have my colleagues here that came with me. We came here to just come and observe what is going on. This is the first time we’ll be here to see what is going on like this. And to be frank with you, we are very impressed with the way the exam is being conducted.”
Dr Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, TRCN Director of Certification and Licensing, anticipated a swift release of results: “The results will be out within a week. Within one week. Once our delegates to the states arrive by Monday and Tuesday, we start extracting the results… And then the results will be released.” She also appealed for better funding to help the Council tackle its operational challenges.
