The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning that the move could further weaken standards within the teaching profession.
Speaking during a presentation on digital transformation in education at the 21st Century Teacher initiative held in Abuja, the NUT President, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, maintained that teaching should not become a profession meant for candidates unable to gain admission into other disciplines.
According to him, countries that recorded sustainable development invested significantly in quality teacher education and ensured that the profession attracted some of the most brilliant minds in society.
“Teaching should not be the last resort. I was shocked when the Federal Government announced the removal of JAMB requirements for candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education. We must think carefully about the implications of such a policy.
“As President of the union, I have travelled to several countries across the world, and one thing is common among nations that have achieved meaningful development — they place strong emphasis on education and teacher training.
“How do they achieve this? They deliberately attract their best students into the teaching profession. Students with the highest scores are encouraged to attend teacher-training institutions because those countries understand that education is the foundation of national development.
“In Nigeria, however, the reverse is often the case. The brightest students are pushed into other professions, while education is treated as an option for those who could not secure admission elsewhere.
“We should not turn Colleges of Education into testing grounds or alternative routes for candidates who could not gain admission into universities.
“Instead, we should be saying that those who want to become teachers must be among the best-performing students in the country. If we truly want quality education tomorrow, then we must begin by recruiting intelligent, passionate and competent people into the teaching profession today,” he said.
The organiser of the 21st Century Teacher initiative, Ayodeji Ogunjobi, stated that the programme was conceived after it was discovered that many teachers lacked the essential digital skills required for modern teaching.
“We cannot expect teachers to move into the new era of education without digital competence,” he said, adding that educators around the world now teach across borders through virtual learning platforms and digital tools.
Representing the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Mrs. Iyabo Ali described the initiative as strategic and timely, stressing that the ministry supports efforts aimed at equipping teachers with 21st-century skills.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr. (Mrs.) Ronke Soyombo, said outdated teaching approaches could no longer address present-day educational demands.
“There is a problem. We cannot apply 19th-century teaching methodology in the 21st century,” she said, identifying inadequate funding and poor digital infrastructure as key challenges confronting the sector.
Also speaking, Abisoye Da Rocha-Afodu, representing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, reaffirmed the commitment of the National Assembly to policies and partnerships promoting educational development, digital inclusion and access to quality learning opportunities for Nigerians.
