The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has strongly opposed the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission to the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) program from taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning that the policy could further weaken teaching standards.
Audu Amba, National President of the NUT, expressed the union’s views at a teacher sensitization session organized by 21st Century in partnership with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, in Abuja yesterday.
Amba bemoaned the falling quality of candidates seeking admission to colleges of education, pointing out that many of the country’s top students increasingly pick universities and other postsecondary institutions, leaving NCE programs as a last resort for rejected candidates.
He condemned the tendency as harmful to Nigeria’s educational future, arguing that teacher education should attract the country’s best-performing students.
According to him, colleges of education should admit applicants with the highest UTME results rather than serving as institutions for students who are unable to acquire admission elsewhere.
“Why can’t we now say that anyone going to the College of Education to become a teacher tomorrow must be among the highest-scoring candidates in UTME?
“Colleges of Education are supposed to have the best candidates, but unfortunately, when people fail to secure university admission, they are told to go and manage NCE,” Amba said.
In her keynote address, TRCN Registrar Dr. Ronke Soyombo emphasized the critical necessity to equip teachers for the challenges of a rapidly expanding digital economy.
She argued that the future of Nigeria’s education system was heavily reliant on instructors who were digitally savvy, innovative, professionally competent, and capable of providing students with new skills.
Also addressing this was the minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who was represented by Dr. Iyabo Ali and advocated for ongoing teacher capacity building, emphasizing the importance of educators regularly upgrading their digital and innovative abilities to meet global education standards.
Other speakers at the occasion, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Dr. Mary Aba, and Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, pushed for greater collaboration and commitment to professional excellence in the education sector.
Senator Moro, on the other hand, expressed alarm about the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s education system, claiming that more than 70% of schools in the country do not provide a conducive learning environment.
He warned that the growing disparity between teachers and their working conditions posed a severe threat to the country’s educational foundation and future growth.
