The Association of Private Educators in Nigeria and The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools have described the claim by the Teachers Registration Council, that over 70 per cent of private school teachers in the South-West States are unqualified as unfair and not factual.
Recently, TRCN, the regulatory body for the teaching profession in Nigeria, announced that over 70 per cent of private school teachers in South-West states were unqualified.
The South-West States include Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti.
In the report, the registrar of TRCN, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, said the teachers were unqualified due to their lack of qualifications to enable them to register with the council.
However, Chairperson, Teacher Training Institute, Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, Mrs Bola Adewole, said it was unfair for TRCN to make the statement, adding that the private schools were assisting the government to fill the huge educational gaps in the country.
“First, it will be important to state that there are many types of private schools in South-West, Nigeria. Most are standing in the gap for the government’s inability to meet the vast educational needs of the citizens. It would therefore be unfair to make a blanket statement that “there are unqualified teachers in private schools in the South-West.”
It is helpful for Government to provide additional training facilities in order to ward off and reduce unqualified teachers wherever they are found.”
Similarly, the national president, NAPPS, Mr Yomi Odubela said, “The association is putting data together to respond to this issue adequately, so as it is now, we are conducting our research on that report so as to be able to respond to it with facts and figures.
“This is a statement that is supposed to be supported with research, if we are quoting a percentage on a sensitive issue of this nature, it has to come with a census report or a research report to confirm this.
“Since we can’t lay our hands on any research that confirms this, it is incumbent on us to do our independent research and come up with an adequate response. We will make an official statement when we are done with the research.”