The Nigeria Union of Teachers has faulted the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UMTE, warning that the move could weaken standards in the teaching profession even further. Speaking at the 21st Century Teacher initiative in Abuja during a presentation on digital transformation in education, NUT President Audu Titus Amba said teaching should not be reduced to a fallback option for students who fail to gain admission into other disciplines.
He stressed that countries that have recorded lasting development made deliberate investments in high-quality teacher education and worked to ensure the profession attracted some of the best talents 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.
Amba added, “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, said the programme was conceived after discovering that many teachers lacked basic digital skills needed for modern teaching.
“We cannot expect teachers to move into the new era of education without digital competence,” he said, adding that educators globally now teach across borders using virtual learning platforms and digital tools.
Representing the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, Mrs Iyabo Ali described the initiative as both timely and strategic, stressing that the ministry remains committed to programmes designed to equip teachers with skills relevant to the demands of the 21st century.
Also speaking, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Dr. (Mrs) Ronke Soyombo, said traditional teaching approaches have become outdated and are no longer sufficient to address the realities of modern education.
“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 major challenges facing the sector.
Meanwhile, 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 that promote educational advancement, digital inclusion and access to quality learning opportunities for all Nigerians.