TRCN And Federal Govt Stands On PQE Certificate

Recently TRCN board made an announcement about PQE certificate which brings controversy to National associations of Nigerian students (NANS) and all TRCN PQE certificate holders.

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria - TRCN has clarified the controversy surrounding its latest policy on the validity of the Professional Qualifying Examination - PQE for teachers.

The TRCN Registrar, Josiah Ajiboye, a professor, said the agency recently limited the waiting period allowed between passing the PQE exam and the collection of certificates.

The PQE is a mandatory test to qualify for a teaching job in Nigeria. It is taken by graduates with Bachelor of Education degrees or the National Certificate of Education (NCE).

He said the clarifications became necessary due to certain claims by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), accusing the agency of creating bottlenecks for teacher registration.

NANS opposes the TRCN and FG policy on PQE certificate

A statement by NANS Senate President, Akinteye Babatunde, claimed that the new policy would further impoverish Nigerian teachers and lead to a shortage of teachers as many may fail to renew their certificates.

Mr Babatunde said the policy failed to take into account the status of an average Nigerian student and the realities of Nigeria’s present economy.

He added that the new policy is not “student-friendly and is totally unacceptable.”

TRCN Clarifications on PQE certificate

TRCN Registrar, Mr Adeboye, however, clarified that the TRCN certificate is obtained once in a lifetime and renewed every three years just like other professions.

He said the claims made by NANS are untrue and that the new policy has been misinterpreted.

Mr Ajiboye said the new policy means that teachers who have passed the PQE must apply for their certificates within a year otherwise they would have to rewrite the PQE.

“We have noticed that many people who passed the TRCN exam fail to register after collecting their certificates. Some who passed the exam hold on to the results for several years and refuse to register. So the reason we bring the new policy is that every person with their certificates must register within a year,” he said.

Mr Ajiboye further explained that the management of the council met late last year and directed the State Coordinators to inform all institutions and other stakeholders that the TRCN results will now be valid for 1 year.

“For clarity, the new policy is that the TRCN PQE result is only valid for 1 year for anyone to obtain a TRCN certificate,” he added. And this year PQE exam date is specified here.

Related Posts You May Like: