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No fewer than 12,539 teachers nationwide sat for the May diet of the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) which began on Thursday and ended on Saturday.

According to report, the qualification examination, conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) was to test the professional competence of the teachers.

This was contained in a statement by the Director, Certification and Licensing at the TRCN, Dr Jacinta Ezeahurukwe.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, he stated the examination is to ensure that qualified teachers remained in the classroom across the country.

Ezeahurukwe pointed that the impact of the exercise had widely been felt both nationally and internationally.

According to her, ‘no PQE, no staying in the classroom’ was enforced in 2019 with deadlines. She maintained that this resulted in having many teachers coming out to obtain their PQE.

“Everybody knows that the teaching profession has gotten to a level that is highly recognized internationally and nationally.

“And everybody knows that you cannot just walk into a class now and say you are a teacher. You must be registered and licensed by TRCN for you to practice.

“Since 2014, TRCN has started this PQE and it has come to stay. Even internationally, they have recognized it and they have looked at the processes of examination,” Ezeahurukwe said.

The Director stated that people have found the examination very credible. And as a result, the UK has even granted Nigeria right as one of those countries in Africa that their teachers are allowed to apply for Qualifying Teachers Status.

She added that the qualifying examination established foundational knowledge. This is what a teacher must possess and exhibit as contained in professional teaching standards.

Announcing the participation for this year’s examination, Ezeahurukwe said, Benue State came top with 1,416 teachers. Benue was followed by Osun State with 1,410 candidates that sat for the examination.

Ezeahurukwe added that Cross River State came last with 59 persons followed by Ebonyi State with 69.

The Director, however, stated that Nigerians are now aware of the importance of the qualifying exams. “There is hardly any school in any State that recruit teachers that does not have the TRCN certification and license.

According to Ezeahurukwe, YRCN is making sure that every State and every organization recruiting teachers from the primary to tertiary institutions must have a qualified teacher.

“We have introduced this to our graduating education students and are also caught at the point of graduation.

“It is an induction at the point of graduation where education students in Colleges of Education, faculties and institute of education, after their final exams apply for the TRCN PQE.

“The exam is conducted for them in schools. So, majority of our graduating students register at the point of graduation. Upon graduation, they are not outside to battle with those who graduated earlier,” she said.

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