By Ifeoma Ezenyilimba
A total of 1, 348 professional teachers were on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, formally inducted into the teaching profession, on the occasion of the 4th Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Induction Ceremony of Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Anambra State. The event was held at Dr Alex Ekwueme Auditorium, Main Campus of the College.
Inducting the professional teachers, the Registrar, TRCN, Prof Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye, commended the Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra State, for what he described as the high premium the College gave to the induction of professional teachers in line with international best practices and quality assurance benchmark.
Professor Ajiboye, who was represented by the Director, Professional Operations, Muazi Adamu Bello, described teachers as pivotal in the education sector, which according to him, had become the most potent instrument in man’s struggle for survival and development.
He explained that a professional teacher must embrace a radical paradigm shift from the content and method modelled to the broad knowledge base model, which according to him, incorporated the essential ingredients of professionalism.
Addressing the inductees, the Director, Professional Operations said, ‘The College has gained a reputation for promoting students’ wholehearted development through the provision of a broad and balanced training with a wide array of learning activities.
He continued, ‘FCE (T) Umunze is reputed for championing an all-round development of students; which included accommodating their interests, unleashing their potentials and extending their experience beyond classroom learning’.
Bello observed that the contemporary teachers must not only fit into the knowledge of informed demands of the contemporary life, but should also be at the shoulder level with every other professional group that function in the wider context of a knowledge driven economy. He added that the development of innovative technologies for teaching, had placed a huge demand on teachers to learn the use of new technologies in the teaching and learning process.
Maazi Bello wished the teachers blissful career in their teaching profession and urged them to take their oath of practice with all seriousness. He noted that oath taking was the most important legal basis for admission into a profession and a condition for a professional practice. Bello warned that any breach of the oath of practice, warranted sanction on the part of the individual.
Speaking on the occasion, the Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Dr Tessy Okoli, said her administration was committed to quality academic staff development and training. This, she said was necessary to keep the College atop in the delivery of quality teacher education. She explained that thousands of graduates from the institution, who had been inducted by TRCN, currently work as role model teachers in various schools across the country.
While commending the TRCN for raising the professional bar, Okoli noted that the College had keyed into the policy directive of the federal government on the stoppage of unlicensed teachers that work in schools, nationwide. She warned that teaching staff of the College, who were yet to obtain their TRCN certification would be shown the backdoor.
Dr Okoli noted that professional training and certification were necessary steps for everyone that aspires for any career, which included the teaching profession. ‘We would ensure that quality and professional development of teachers remain the cardinal policy of my administration’, she stated.
The Provost congratulated the inductees for being studious in learning and urged them to remain role models in their various places of engagements. She described the graduates of the institution as shining light, and charged them to illuminate the education sector with the imperishable values of hard work, diligence and integrity thy learnt from the College.
Highpoints of the occasion were the administration of oath of practice on the inductees by the TRCN boss and presentation of certificates to them.
Responding on behalf of the newly inducted professional teachers, the best graduating student in Professional Diploma in Education Examination, 2017/2018 Academic Session, Augustine Okechukwu Azubuike, thanked the College for providing them with quality training in character and learning. He described the induction ceremony as the beginning of their academic race, and urged his colleagues to raise the banner of the teaching profession higher.
