Council Faults Federal Govt’s Plan To Stop Funding Professional Bodies

Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has said the plan by the federal government to stop funding councils and professional bodies would pose a challenge to the entities.

The registrar of the TRCN, Prof Josiah Ajiboye, stated this during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja yesterday.

He disclosed that 3,963 teachers who sat for the November 2023 diet of the Professional Qualifying Examination for teachers across the country organised by TRCN failed.

The federal government had approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocations to professional bodies and councils effective December 31, 2026.

He said, “2023 has been a challenging year because with the transition, the new government has come up with a policy to stop funding. So, the council is one of the bodies that the federal government said they are going to stop funding in 2024.

“This is a big challenge to us, especially when it comes to the payment of the salaries of the staff. We are working with the financial institutions to make sure that we are able to resolve the matter.”

On the number of teachers that failed qualifying examination, he said, “A total of 15,753 sat the examination in 38 centres across the country, out of this, we have 10,636 that passed which is about 72.9 per cent and those that failed are 3,963.”

Ajiboye also noted that other candidates were absent while others had results cancelled due to examination malpractices.