FG plans to adopt degree as minimum teaching qualification

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to make university
first degree the minimum teaching qualification in Nigeria, according
to the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau.
Shekarau said this while receiving visiting Finns ambassador to
Nigeria, Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury.
The envoy had told the minister that all teachers in Finland had a
minimum of Masters Degree because "teaching is a highly competitive
profession due to huge interest by too many qualified people."
Shekarau said the Federal Government would explore all measures to
restore the respect, dignity and status of teachers in the country,
adding that the target of the Federal Government was "to make First
Degree as minimum teaching qualification."
He said the minimum teaching qualification in Nigerian schools, since
1980, had been the National Certificate in Education.
The minister said that there were currently a number of graduates
teaching in primary schools in the country.
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Shekarau recalled that the country was able to get over the practice
in the past where primary school leavers were engaged in teaching,
saying "the level was raised to Teacher Grade III in the 1960s and
later on in the early 70s, it was minimum of Grade II, this was later
phased out in early 80s to minimum of NCE."
"Gradually we will get there. We hope that a day will come when all
our schools, including pre-primary will be handled by university
graduates," he added.
He said that apart from the general agenda of government to improve
access to quality education, he said he was particularly concerned as
the education minister to improve the quality of teachers.
"We must continuously increase the number of teachers, improve the
quality of teachers, improve the condition of teacher training
institutions and continuously review the curriculum of teacher
education to make sure it catches up with the challenges, address that
issues of teachers' welfare and job security", the minister stated.
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