FG licenses 1.25m teachers – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday said the federal government is developing a verifiable database of teachers in Nigeria, adding that already, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has registered 2,108,342 teachers and licensed 1,250,000 teachers.

The Vice President while speaking at the Eagle Square, Abuja during the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day, disclosed that the registration and licensing of teachers are part of efforts at implementing the professional teaching and teacher qualification framework standards that will invariably impact education outcome and teacher performance at the pre-school, basic, secondary and tertiary levels.

He added that the Federal Government has also launched the Nigerian Learning Passport; a digital learning platform with online, mobile, and offline capability that enables continuous access to quality education.

On the important role of teachers in mediating the transition to the digital age, the Vice President observed that, “we live in one of the most rapidly advancing moments in human history. Technology is redefining every aspect of our lives at a dizzying speed, and those who do not keep pace will be left behind. This is true for our children and the young people under our watch today, as it is true for teachers.

He described the teachers as critical component of transformation and development of a country, adding that “this is why they should harness the power of cutting-edge technology in their work so as to better prepare young people for today’s world.”

Continuing he said, “our future as a nation is so heavily dependent on education and our educators. This explains why the Federal Government is determined to return teachers, teaching and the teaching profession to their rightful places.

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“We are also developing a verifiable database of teachers in Nigeria, already the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has registered 2,108,342 teachers and licensed 1,250,000 teachers.”

“Our new teachers’ policy is already being implemented at the Federal level and in some States and I urge States that have not, to do so immediately, the gains are already showing.”

Speaking on the theme of this year’s World Teachers’ Day, ‘The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers,’ Osinbajo noted that teachers should embrace innovation because they also have an important responsibility to themselves, “for them to be at the cutting edge of advancements in education and especially the use of technology and modern teaching methods.”

He noted that education must respond to the dynamism, speed of development and massive changes in society, and urged Educators to understand the skills required to take full advantage of a world dependent on technology. In addition to listening, education today includes writing, ideation, imagining, and critical thinking skills. It is no longer merely learning by rote

“We cannot give what we don’t have, so we must stay on the cutting-edge of research, learning, and development. We can only guide our students in the direction where we ourselves have been,” he said.

Similarly, the Vice President noted that this year’s World Teachers’ Day was a special day to celebrate teachers, describing them as “the very best of us and perhaps the most important persons in our nation,” praising them as “those men and women who daily go into classrooms to banish ignorance, imbue knowledge, inspire and nurture the minds of millions of young people one school day at a time.

“It is the day in the year when we say what we should say every day to our teachers: thank you. Thank you for your patience, commitment, your sacrifice, and your hard work amidst many challenges.