TRCN Commends FCET Umunze, Inducts 1,348 Teachers

The Registrar, Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye has commended the Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra State for giving premium to the induction of professional teachers in line with best practices and quality assurance benchmark.

He gave the commendation at the fourth TRCN induction ceremony at the college, where 1,348 candidates were formally admitted into the teaching profession.

Addressing the inductees at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Auditorium, main campus, Ajiboye said the college has gained a reputation for promoting students’ wholehearted development through the provision of a broad and balanced training with a wide array of learning activities.

Ajiboye, who was represented by the Director, Professional Operations, Maazi Adamu Bello, described teachers as pivotal in the education sector, which has become the most potent instrument in man’s struggle for survival and development.

“Today’s teachers must not only fit into the knowledgeinformed demands of the contemporary life, but also be at shoulder level with every other professional group, functioning in the wider context of a knowledge-driven economy.”

He explained that a professional teacher must embrace radical paradigm shift from the content and method model to the broad knowledge-base model, which incorporates the essential ingredients of professionalism.

According to him, the development of innovative technologies for teaching has placed a huge demand on teachers to learn the use of new technologies in the teaching and learning process.

The TRCN registrar urged the new teachers to take their oath of practice with all seriousness and wished them a blissful career in teaching. While describing oathtaking as the most important legal basis for admission into a profession and a condition for a professional practice, he warned that any breach of the oath of practice calls for sanction.

Also speaking, the Provost of the college, Dr. Tessy Okoli said her administration laid out a clear policy on encouraging academic staff training and development to ensure that the college remains top in the delivery of quality teacher education. She explained that thousands of graduates from the institution have been inducted by TRCN and work in various schools across the country.

While commending the TRCN for raising the professional bar, Okoli noted that the college has keyed into the policy directive of the federal government on the stoppage of unlicensed teachers working in schools nationwide. She warned that teaching staff of the college yet to obtain the TRCN certification would be shown the backdoor.

“Professional training and certification are necessary steps for everyone entering into a career, including the teaching sector. We would ensure that quality and professional development of teachers remain a cardinal policy of this administration,” she added.