By Stephen Adeleye.
No fewer than 526 teachers and lecturers in Kogi, are writing the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE),Batch A, 2020, conducted by the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
Mrs Zainab Lawal, the Kogi State Coordinator of TRCN, disclosed to newsmen at the venue of the ongoing PQE Batch A, 2020, on Friday in Lokoja.
Lawal said that a total of 526 teachers of primary, secondary, and lecturers from tertiary institutions across the state are writing the PQE, which started on Wednesday to be rounded up on Saturday.
According to her, the exam was supposed to hold for a day but was extended to four days so as to ensure strict compliance to the guidelines and protocols of NCDC against Covid-19 pandemic.
She noted that the PQE was first conducted in 2008 to address the problems of unqualified teachers, teaching in schools across the nation.
She explained that the PQE was designed for NCE, Degree, Masters and PhD holders including Professors, saying their questions varies according to their categories.
She stressed that all teachers must sit and passed the exam before they would be considered as qualified teachers.
She, however, urged the State Government through the ministry of education to ensure training and retraining of teachers especially in ICT, in order to enhance their capacity for quality education delivery.
Also speaking, the Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, who monitored the exam, expressed satisfaction with its conduct.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Pastor Emmanuel Idenyi, commended the TRCN for proper arrangements put in place in line with the NCDC guidelines and protocols against coronavirus pandemic.
He promised that the ministry would do its best to ensure continuous training and retraining of teachers at all levels in the state.
One of the candidates, John Benjamin, said that, ”I was delighted to have participated in the exam; though it was a little bit tough, but I was able to put something down”.
