Sir: This is a rejoinder with respect to an article published in The Guardian of Thursday, July 20, 2023, titled: “Tackling the menace of unqualified teachers in private schools.”

This is a humble appeal directed to the concerned authorities, requesting that at least some form of consideration be shown to some competent and quality teachers, who would, otherwise, be referred to as “unqualified,” going strictly by their non-possession of the NCE/B. Ed/PGDE or other education-related qualifications, as well as their status of registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

Considering the high rate of unemployment in the country currently, will the removal of teachers from classrooms solely on the grounds that they do not possess education-related qualifications, not cause the already high level of unemployment in the country to rise? Would it not be more human to allow these categories of teachers to remain in the teaching profession, while provisions are made by their employers for retraining such teachers?

I support the views of Mr. Orji Kanu in his publication The Guardian. Kanu, the president, Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), said the group is in talks with TRCN to ensure teachers in low cost private schools are qualified by getting the TRCN certificate.

It should also be noted that many other factors contribute towards the low quality and falling standard of the educational system apart from the inadequate qualifications of some school teachers. These other factors include: The poor remuneration of teachers, the absence of functional and well equipped libraries in many public and private schools across the country, absence of modern teaching facilities, etc. In addition, the attitude of the students themselves, towards the success of their own education, also plays an important role, and should not be taken for granted.

For example, with regard to libraries, due to the absence of functional and well-equipped school libraries in many public and private schools across the country, students and teachers are ill-equipped with adequate educational materials and resources that could greatly contribute towards the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in such schools.

In view of the above, some steps that could be considered as an alternative to the instant removal of “unqualified” or rather, incompetent teachers from the classrooms, in my humble opinion, could include the other option of administering competence-based tests for these supposedly “unqualified” teachers, regardless of the educational qualifications they currently possess. This can help to ascertain their level of competence as school teachers, and then, for those who are found competent, trying to make a provision or opportunity for them to remain in the teaching profession.
Daniel Ighakpe wrote from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, Edo State.