About 13,700 candidates participated in the May edition of the Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) conducted nationwide by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) on Saturday.
Acting Registrar of TRCN, Stella Maria Nwokeocha, disclosed this while monitoring the exercise at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) CBT Centre in Wuse II, Abuja. “We have a figure of 594 people writing at this centre. There are some other centres in the other states… but altogether we are looking at around 13,000 plus candidates. 13,700 and something,” she said.
She noted that reports from across the country indicated a smooth, hitch-free exercise, though the PQE was rescheduled in some states due to the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). “This exam continues tomorrow because of the JAMB issue. So we have to shift the dates for those in Lagos and the South East,” Nwokeocha added.
Chairman of the TRCN Governing Board, Dr. Saliu Mustapha, commended the conduct of the examination, describing it as a vital step toward professionalizing teaching. He highlighted ongoing efforts by the Federal Ministry of Education to establish a digital database for verifying teachers’ qualifications.
The Director of Certification and Licensing at TRCN, Dr. Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, disclosed that results would be released within a week. “Once our delegates to the states arrive by Monday and Tuesday, we start extracting the results,” she said, while also appealing for improved funding to support the Council’s operations.
