The New Minimum Qualifications For Teachers Will Now Be Bachelors, BSc

 Ibrahim Shekarau, the Minister of Education,  has said plans are in progress to make bachelor’s degree the minimum teaching qualification in Nigeria.

Speaking with the Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhur, Mr. Shekarau said the Federal Government would explore all measures to restore the lost respect, dignity and status of teachers in Nigeria.



Mr. Suomela-Chowdhury disclosed that teachers in Finland have a minimum of master’s degree. He also said the profession is highly competitive in his country because of a huge interest from too many qualified people.


 "In 1980 the minimum teaching qualification to teach in schools was National Certificate in Education but this could be upped to first degree soon." Mr. Shekarau said.

Adding that,  there are already a number of graduates teaching in primary schools in Nigeria.

He said Nigeria was able to get over the practice in the past, where primary school leavers were engaged to teach.
He recalled how the level was raised to Teacher Grade 3 in the sixties and later, in the early seventies, it was a minimum of Grade 2 but this was later phased out in the eighties to a minimum of NCE.

He said the federal government would soon come up with a proposal to encourage special scholarship awards by all tiers of government to students from secondary schools who want to study education in universities and teacher training institutions.


Noting that no nation could rise above the level of quality of its education system, He stated that the Federal Government would soon call for a national teachers’ summit to discuss how to raise the quality of teachers in Nigeria.

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Posted: at 20-02-2015 07:47 PM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

If minimum qualification is BSC , then what 's the purpose of a college of Education

Qualification doesn't guarantee quality of teaching but the Zeal and commitment to work ...
Teaching is an aptitude , if you don't have it . You cant fake it ........

The Adverse effect of this decision is that the unemployed mob ( Having little or no interest in the art of disseminating knowledge ) will run a PGDE course and join the teaching job... Which is nt suitable for the system .......

I tink the best way to do,it is to improve the quality of  Education in COEDs and also to improve the standard of living of the teachers that will make them more committed  to the work ...
My opinion ......

Posted: at 20-02-2015 08:36 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

 

Posted: at 20-02-2015 10:13 PM (9 years ago) | Newbie

 

Posted: at 20-02-2015 11:44 PM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

Nice one. good opinion.

Posted: at 21-02-2015 12:59 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

@Femjay,nice opinion

Posted: at 21-02-2015 07:09 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Nice opinion Mr Femjay

Posted: at 21-02-2015 08:27 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

are you going to icrease teacher salary two folds?  how will this favour the kids?  is minimum qualification the problem?  are you maintaining the schools as per research and development, and infrastructure?  are you willing to employ more teachers?

Posted: at 21-02-2015 11:45 AM (9 years ago) | Newbie

What he is saying is a welcome development.

The ideology that any graduate can be a teacher is a discouraging factor  to teaching as a profession, if a B.SC holder graduates to become a teacher what it implies is that a B.Ed holder should also be able to work in a company.

Teaching has been so bastardize that almost everybody sees it as an option and not a career.

I happen to be a student of a University of Education (Ignatius Ajuru University of Education) and with the kind of standard at which we are trained, you will agree with me that teaching is not just for anybody but for those who are trained to do it with passion.

The certificate issued to us is of double honour B.Sc/B.Ed which mean that we are not just taught to be teachers but to be professionals in the our field even outside the teaching environment.

A B.Sc holder should know that although he knows the thing but still lacks some fundamental rudiments that would have qualified him as a teacher and hence a Master in Education is advised if he/she really know what teaching methodology means to the educational sector. It is a shame that most of them can't even prepare a "lesson plan" not to talk of "lesson note" so they need to go through the educational training of being a teacher.

Posted: at 21-02-2015 06:10 PM (9 years ago) | Newbie