Benue leads as 12539 teachers take professional qualifying examination
By Uji A. Iliyasu
Abuja
Not fewer than 12539 teachers have participated in Batch A of the 2024 Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) for teachers across the 36 states and FCT
Briefing journalists, the Director of Certification and Licensing, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr Jesinta Ngozi Ezahope, disclosed that 12,539 teachers have so far taken the professional examination this year.
Dr. Ezahope said out of the 12,539 candidates registered for the batch A set, Benue State had the highest with 1416 candidates; Osun State, 1410. While FCT accounted for 650 candidates, Ebonyi State had 69 and Cross River 59.
Ežahope disclosed this Saturday, while fielding questions from newsmen during the Professional Qualifying Examination in Abuja.
“The PQE for teachers who are to be registered and licensed in Nigeria takes place two times every year in May and November,” she said.
Speaking on the impact of the examination, she said, “the impact of the examination is being felt widely, that is why the number of coverage of this exam increases every day.
“Everybody knows that the teaching profession has gotten to the level that it is highly recognized both nationally and internationally.
“Everyone knows that you cannot just walk into a class now and say you are a teacher, you must be registered and licensed by the TRCN for you to answer or practice as a teacher.
“And for you to do that, everybody in Nigeria has known that you cannot be registered and licensed without going through the Professional Qualifying Examination because that is one of the prerequisite for the registration.
“For every profession, there must be a professional qualifying examination and since October 14, 2017 TRCN started this Professional Qualifying Examination and it has come to stay, it is a criteria.
“Even internationally, they’ve recognised it and they’ve looked at the processes of this examination and have found it credible that even the UK granted Nigeria as one of those countries in Africa that they allow their teachers apply for the QTS, that is Qualified Teachers Status.”