TRCN: We didn’t ask our certificate holders to rewrite qualifying exam

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has refuted claims that it asked those holding its certificates to rewrite its professional qualifying exam (PQE).

Josiah Ajiboye, the registrar of TRCN, was reacting to a letter written to the council by Akinteye Babatunde, the senate president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Babatunde had, in the letter, credited the TRCN with a certificate renewal policy. He also raised concerns about how the purported policy would impoverish teachers, leading to a personnel shortage.

Describing the policy as “draconian and insensitive”, Babatunde said it fails to take into account the status of an average student and the realities of Nigeria’s present economy.

“If teachers are forced to leave the profession due to the undue expiration of their certificates, there would definitely be a shortage of qualified teachers, which would have a negative impact on the quality of education,” the president said.

“It would also lead to a decline in the quality of education in Nigeria, which is already in a state of crisis.

“The TRCN needs to remove this policy, taking into account the present delicate economic realities of the country.”

Babatunde called on the council to release all withheld certificates to their bearers and immediately expunge the alleged insensitive policy of its system.

However, in his reaction, Ajiboye clarified that the TRCN certificate is obtained once and is valid for life.

He said only the TRCN license is renewable every three years as it is being done in other professions.

Ajiboye said the new policy is on the validity of TRCN professional qualifying examination results and not the renewal of its certificates.

He said many people who passed the TRCN exam failed to register immediately to collect their certificates.

The registrar raised concern that some who passed the exam as far back as 2018 held on to the results and refused to register.

He said the management of TRCN met in 2023 and directed its state coordinators to inform stakeholders that TRCN results will now be valid for one year.

“If you passed the PQE, you must register within 1 year. And if you fail to do so, it means you will write the examination again,” the registrar said.

“So, I wouldn’t know where the idea of failure to collect certificate leading to another exam is coming from.

“For clarity, the new policy is that TRCN PQE result is only valid for 1 year for anyone to obtain TRCN certificate.”