By Kudirat Musa
Auta-Balefi, (Nasarawa), – The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), on Monday said demand for letter of Professional Standing by Nigerians teaching abroad has increased.
Prof Josiah Ajiboye, the Registrar of TRCN, made this known at Bingham University, Auta-Balefi, Nasarawa State, during a capacity building training on digital literacy, organised by the council for Teachers in the North Central zone.
Ajiboye also hinted that the Council had commenced Online Professional Qualification Examination (PQE) for Nigerians in Diaspora.
He said four candidates from Canada and two from the U.S. sat for the first Online PQE last month, adding that monitoring mechanisms were fully in place to avoid malpractices.
He also said that the TRCN had fully deployed digital services for capacity building that would improve and better equip Nigerian teachers.
Speaking on the Digital Literacy training, Ajiboye called on teachers to adapt to the changing world and be ready to compete favourably with teachers from other climes.
He emphasised that teaching was no longer done in isolation, but included Co-teaching, team teaching and collaboration with other members to make use of appropriate technological devices to impact knowledge.
He also explained that Virtual Examination would be conducted at the end of the proceedings with results released by the conducting firm.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the programme, which will run for five days, also holds simultaneously in Owerri, Gombe and Port Harcourt, while that of Southwest had been held last year.
In his remarks, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the Minster of State for Education, said that Digital Literacy would empower teachers to provide the necessary knowledge and skills needed by them for effective teaching and learning outcomes.
Nwajiuba who was represented by Ajoboye, said the training was a lifetime opportunity, and charged the teachers to take advantage of it.
The minister assured participants that plans were underway by the Federal Government to provide laptops to all registered teachers across Nigeria.
“The Federal Government is making arrangements to give all Nigerian teachers who are registered with TRCN one laptop each, but the teachers are going to pay for it at subsidised rate, and in installments.
“The ministry is also working with service providers to provide internet facilities to Nigerian teachers to complement the laptops and make our teachers digitally literate,” Nwajiuba said.
