NTI: FG Gives Mandate to Professionalise 250,000 Unqualified Teachers

The National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) in Kaduna has been tasked by the Federal Government to coordinate a new initiative known as the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP). This program aims to professionalize serving teachers who do not possess formal teaching qualifications, thereby bridging gaps in the basic education system.

The initiative will be overseen by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, as per a communication from the Sub-Committee on Media and Communication. The ATPP promises to provide an affordable and time-bound pathway for approximately 250,000 unqualified teachers to obtain professionally recognized teaching qualifications from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

The NTI, led by Director and Chief Executive Prof. Sadiya Sani Daura, will serve as the coordinating secretariat in collaboration with other key educational bodies such as the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), among others.

The primary goal of the program is not to remove unqualified teachers from classrooms but to provide them with the necessary professional qualifications while they continue to serve in their schools. The programme will be delivered through a blended learning format, incorporating self-paced digital learning, virtual facilitated sessions, structured assessment checkpoints, and supervised teaching practice in the teachers' own schools.

The six-month programme will include four months of intensive instruction followed by a two-month teaching practice component. The NTI will be responsible for curriculum development, content management, and quality assurance in partnership with UBEC and the ATPP Steering Committee.