The Ebonyi State Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers has added its voice in condemning the recent federal government's policy waiving the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination as an entrance requirement for admission into Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
The teachers position was made known in a Press briefing led by the State NUT Chairman Francis Ekechi, Tuesday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
According to the Union, the policy if allowed, could further lower the already declining educational standards in the country, demoralise teaching and take a negative toll on professional standards.
Ekechi argued that while teaching is the mother of all professions, implementing such a policy would immediately erode the required intellectual checks, thereby making the teaching profession an all-comers affair.
"Lowering entry requirements into Colleges of Education sends a dangerous message that anyone can become a teacher without merit. This will further erode public confidence in our education system" he said.
Ekechi further argued that allowing the JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination entry requirements for universities and polytechnics while removing it for Colleges of Education suggests discrimination and government's view of teachers training as inferior. He warned that such discriminatory policy “will discourage brilliant students from choosing Colleges of Education.
"NUT Ebonyi warns that waiving JAMB would flood classrooms with poorly prepared candidates, ultimately harming pupils in primary and secondary schools. We cannot build a 21st-century economy with 19th-century teachers. Quality must start from recruitment.”
The Union urged that rather than advance such a retrogressive policy, the government should focus more on ways of addressing the poor renumeration and welfare of teachers; irregular salaries, low societal regard for teachers as well as provide bursaries, upgrade infrastructure and equipment in Colleges of Education, stressing that such actions would encourage students enrollment into the teaching profession, not standards lowering.
While calling for immediate reversal of the policy, the Union urged the government to initiate consultation with the NUT, the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and other education stakeholders for policy review to reposition Colleges of Education. It also called for introduction of incentives such as automatic employment, special allowances, and scholarships to attract quality candidates into Colleges of Education.
"We will mobilize our members and engage in lawful advocacy to resist this policy until it is reversed.
“Any nation that toys with its teacher quality toys with its future", Ekechi warned.
