Niger State Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has called on the Teachers’ Registration Council to go beyond the registration of qualified teachers and enforce basic ethics for the teachers as being done in other professions.
Aliyu who declared open the North Central mandatory continuing professional training organised by the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) at the UK Bello Art Theatre, Minna yesterday said teaching could only be a respected profession if there is standard ethics.
He said the values and principles for the teaching profession must be imbibed adding that teaching laid the foundation for his growth through public service and still regarded himself as a teacher.
“ Every profession emphasised on the ethics , we don’t have ethics, it is not medical, engineering, law and others , teachers’ council should make sure that no school has more than 30 percent unqualified teachers,” he said.
Aliyu said many of those in teaching in the country see the job as a last resort because they do not have the values and emotions required of professional teachers reiterating that “we need such a council to make the job more professional.”
He said mere registration of teachers has not made it a profession but would be more respected when the teachers’ registration council register and enforce the ethics and principles that guide the practice of teaching.
Aliyu said teaching was fundamental to success in education sector and that education determines the success in other sphere of national development. He noted that if people were well educated they would not sell out their right to elect charlatans into public service.
The Governor said it was because of this that some elected politicians believed in building gigantic structures instead of investing in education.