The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has strongly opposed the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into the Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, programme from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, warning that the policy could further weaken standards in the teaching profession.
National President of the NUT, Audu Amba, voiced the union’s position at a sensitisation workshop for teachers organised by 21st Century, in collaboration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, in Abuja, yesterday.
Amba lamented the declining quality of candidates seeking admission into colleges of education, noting that many of the country’s brightest students now preferred universities and other tertiary institutions, leaving NCE programmes as a fallback option for unsuccessful candidates.
He described the trend as dangerous to the future of education in Nigeria, insisting that teacher education should attract the best-performing students in the country.
According to him, colleges of education ought to admit candidates with the highest UTME scores, rather than becoming institutions for students unable to gain admission elsewhere.
“Why can’t we now say that anyone going to College of Education to become a teacher tomorrow must be among the highest-scoring candidates in UTME?
“Colleges of Education are supposed to have the best candidates, but unfortunately, when people fail to secure university admission, they are told to go and manage NCE,” Amba said.
In her keynote address, the Registrar of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, underscored the urgent need to prepare teachers for the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy.
She maintained that the future of Nigeria’s education system depended largely on teachers who were technologically driven, innovative, professionally competent and capable of equipping students with modern skills.
Also speaking, Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who was represented by Dr Iyabo Ali, called for sustained capacity building for teachers, stressing that educators must continuously upgrade their digital and innovative skills to meet global education standards.
Other stakeholders at the event, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Dr Mary Aba, and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, urged stronger collaboration and commitment to professional excellence in the education sector.
Senator Moro, however, raised concerns over the worsening state of Nigeria’s education system, lamenting that more than 70 per cent of schools across the country lack a conducive teaching and learning environment.
He warned that the widening gap between teachers and their working environment poses a serious threat to the nation’s educational foundation and future development.
Vanguard
