National Telescope national telescope newspaper
The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has successfully conducted the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) for 16,614 teachers across the country.
Dr. Stella-Maria Nwokeocha, the Acting Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of TRCN, monitored the examination in Abuja, alongside officials from the Federal Ministry of Education.
She commended the smooth conduct of the exam despite the challenges faced by the council.
Dr. Nwokeocha highlighted that the agency has been grappling with financial difficulties, particularly after being removed from the list of government agencies directly funded by the Federal Government.
As a result, TRCN has had to reduce its operational costs and rely on development partners for financial support.
“We have faced many challenges, but we have made efforts to cut down on expenses. Everything has come down to sacrifice. I commend the staff for their understanding.
For example, in terms of training, we’ve had to scale down and focus on group training sessions,” she said.
Nwokeocha called for increased funding from the government, stressing that while development partners have been helpful, the agency cannot depend solely on them.
She urged the government to reinstate TRCN in its funding plan, or at the very least, take over the payment of staff salaries.
Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, the Director of Certification and Licensing at TRCN, explained that the PQE is designed to assess the professional knowledge of teachers and is a necessary step for obtaining certification and licensing to teach in Nigerian classrooms.
Ezeahurukwe also shared details on some technological advancements introduced to streamline the examination process.
Among these innovations is the newly introduced TRCN app, which automatically generates examination numbers for candidates, replacing the manual process used in previous exams. This move is aimed at improving the efficiency and transparency of the examination process.
“We’ve also introduced an app that detects impersonation, ensuring that only registered candidates can sit for the exam. This app is part of our broader efforts to safeguard the integrity of the examination,” Dr. Ezeahurukwe explained.
She further revealed that in the near future, all candidates will be required to register online and generate their exam details independently. “Each year we continue to improve our processes.
As you can see today, the examination is more seamless than before, thanks to these technological advancements,” she added.
