Teachers' Voice – Nigeria - VSO

The consequences of this neglect are grave all over the country, as implied in the followingquotes – one about the situation in the north and one about the situation in central Nigeria,respectively.An overcrowded classroom with little or no teaching and learning materials (TLMs) and indilapidated surroundings hampers the teachers’ ability to deliver quality education enormously.These circumstances and this environment are not conducive for learning and put the teachersand the children under huge amounts of stress. This FME Situation Analysis confirms andverifies the need for rehabilitation in the education sector.2.4 TEACHERS’ EDUCATIONCahander and George affirm that recruiting candidates of high aptitude would harvest moreeffective teachers; however, this is not the case in Nigeria. Candidates who cannot receiveentrance into other courses, due to their poor grades, are the people accepted onto teachertraining courses. Teaching is the last option and this is reflected in the calibre of candidates itattracts and admits.Afe, John O. ,2002 : 9Afe, in the article, ‘Reflections on becoming a teacher and the challenges of teacher education’,identifies the training of competent teachers as a key element in education reform in Nigeria,“as poor teachers tend to reproduce their own kind”.(Afe, O., John, 2002:12)In response to these facts, in 2005 the FME initiated an upgrade of 77,963 unqualified grade twocertificate teachers, to National Certificate for Education (NCE) which is the minimum teachingqualification in Nigeria. An additional 91,259 unqualified teachers upgraded in 2006. However,it is estimated that some 282,000 (57%) primary school teachers are underqualified and, ofthese, 88,000 have insufficient academic qualifications to be considered for upgrading.(FME, Situation Analysis, 2006: 26 )According to Professor Jilbril Aminu, teachers are the “kingpin of quality education”. He insiststhat teacher education “has to occupy a position of pre-eminence in the planning andorganization of the modern society”. He urges the Nigerian people and government totransform the teaching profession into a more attractive and appealing profession.(Afe, John O., 2002:13)Presently, there is an “uninspiring perception” of the teaching profession in Nigeria, accordingto Dr. Kabiru Isyaku, due to the “unfortunate ways the practitioners of the profession aretreated with regard to conditions of service, career prospects, unattractive emoluments etc”.This sad state of affairs deters potential contenders to enter the teaching vocation.(Afe, John O., 2002: 14)The lack of interest has led CoEs to reduce the minimum requirements for entrance, from NCEcourse requirements to the Pre-NCE (Pre-National Certificate of Education) course, which is aone-year programme aimed to promote candidates to the requirement level of the NCE module.The NCE, which increases a teacher’s salary by 50%, aims to “produce teachers with highpersonal and professional discipline and integrity”. It is said to be subject-based, with “no realdifferentiation between those students that might eventually teach in primary school andthose who might teach in secondary school”.(FME, Situation Analysis, 2006: 27)16