The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) says nine Nigerians will take part in its Professional Qualifying Examinations (PQE) in UK, USA, Canada and South Africa.

Mr Gbolahan Emilolobo, Head, Certification and Licensing of the council made this known during a meeting with State Coordinators and Technical Committee on Instruments for Monitoring of Disengagement of Unqualified Teachers in Abuja on Thursday.

Emilolobo said the council had launched an online platform for its PQE sometime in September 2019 that would allow Nigerians in Diaspora to register.

TRCN through the National Council on Education (NCE) made a move on the compulsory PQE as Dec. 31, 2019 was set as deadline for unqualified teachers to be weeded out of the sector.

This is in a bid to sanitise the school system as well as riding the nation’s education sector especially the basic and secondary schools of quacks and unprofessional teachers.

“The online platform was launched in September 2019, we had the first batch consisted about six candidates and the examination took place in November.”

“The council started its operations as far back as 2001 and Nigerians been what we are, the nonchalant attitude put up by some when they are in the country which they thought they have nothing to do with the TRCN certificate”.

“By the time they got outside the country, there usually a problem that you cannot practice without having the TRCN certificate so they have to start writing us letter of professional standing for them to be able to affirm that they are practicing in the country”.

“The PQE have both local and international. For those who have left without the PQE will have to sit for the exam. So the second batch is coming up today in four countries”.

“We try and enlighten Nigerians that the exam is not for local teachers alone but also international teachers.’’

Emilolobo added: “We have a kind of relationship between Nigeria and other nations in as much that we cannot take their certificate without qualifying exam, the same thing happens with them.’’

He, therefore, called on management of schools especially the private schools to as a matter of urgency implore their teachers to register before actions would begin to weed them out of the system. (NAN)