Dr. Bello Zakariyau Adebayo, Head of the Department of Biology at Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, has called for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s teacher education system to address declining standards and restore dignity to the profession.
In an interview, Adebayo blamed the sector’s challenges on a lack of professionalisation, weak regulation, and public bias against Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) holders. He noted that while medicine and law are strictly regulated, teaching is left open to quackery through mushroom coaching centres and unqualified practitioners.
Highlighting differences in training, he argued that NCE graduates are often better prepared than university graduates because of more prolonged and more practical exposure. According to him, NCE students undergo six months of teaching practice, while university students spend only four weeks, often in observational roles.
Adebayo urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to restructure the Faculties of Education into independent Colleges of Education with model schools and laboratories to produce skilled teachers.
He praised the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) for updating curricula to include ICT and entrepreneurship. However, he faulted the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) for failing to enforce professional standards. He recommended licensing, renewal, and continuous training for teachers as obtainable in other professions.
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