TEACHERS – PRIDE OF EVERY NATION

The term has been defined by many scholars from different perspectives, and is a subject of debate whether it is a job or an art.

Teaching refers to the process of imparting knowledge and skills from a teacher to a learner. It involves introducing a new idea or subject to another person, such that the person or leaner learns new and exciting things which he/she did not know. It is an art of educating one or a group of people.

            According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, teaching is the act, practice or profession of a teacher. A person who engages in teaching is called a TEACHER. Such one is seen as a leader; one who takes another out of darkness in order to see light. He/she strongly believes in change and has the capacity to impart in the learners skills necessary to becoming future leaders. He/she uses a lot of tools like Philosophy and Psychology to understand the learners; does not only teach academic standards or follow the teaching curriculum, but also, inculcates moral values and culture, fit for the ideal person for an ideal society. A teacher is passionate, loving, caring, optimistic and inspiring. He/she is an all-rounder – Supervisor, Advocate/Mediator, Police/Security operative, Manager/Administrator, Counselor/Psychologist and Medical personnel.

            Can teaching be regarded as a profession? What then is a profession? A profession is what one engages in after acquiring specialized knowledge over a period of time. The parameters for any occupation to be regarded as a profession include:

·        Provision for acquiring skills/knowledge over a period of time.

·        Provision of license for practitioners.

·        Provision of professional bodies or organization.

·        Provision of clearly-defined membership of a subgroup with a view to safeguarding the interest of the profession.

·        Provision of a complete autonomy of practice.

Teaching may not necessarily be considered as a profession, but being a teacher is a profession just like being a medical doctor or barrister.

To becoming a teacher requires one spending an average of five years in a college or university so as to acquire the necessary skill/knowledge and at the end obtain an entry qualification of N C E (National Certificate in Education) or a Bachelor’s degree in education. With this, such one on application (after an examination) is issued a licence to practice by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), which regulates and controls the teaching profession at all levels of the Nigerian educational system, both in the public and private sectors.

            Teachers are great people who engage in building lives- great people thriving in various facets of human endeavour. Whether it is at the pre-primary, primary, post-primary or the tertiary level, a teacher is seen as the foundation to all other professions. Teachers pass on knowledge and values to children; prepare them for further education and for self-reliance.

Today, we have medical doctors, barristers, engineers, secretaries, etc – all being products of teachers. A teacher adopts various teaching methods like discussion, experimental, lecturing, and so on and so forth, to pass information to the learners.

Why is our educational system still in a mundane state? Why are our students going to other countries to acquire qualitative education? Why are our professors not carrying out adequate researches? Why are our products from other countries not returning home to improve our educational system? Why? Why? Why? Simply put it; the teaching profession is not lucrative in this part of the world.

Though it is seen as a noble profession but it does not get the recognition it deserves. This is why young people don’t aspire to become teachers because the teaching profession is poorly remunerated.

            What then is the way forward? During my days in high school, very little or nothing was heard concerning examination malpractice. Students would hardly talk about it, let alone indulge in it. Teachers maintained their integrity and would neither aid nor abet corruption in the system; hence, they were seen as role models.

Due to the poor economic state of the nation, teachers have compromised their integrity, and have been indicted of corruption. Students patronize them for answers to examination questions, that is why you see students having high grades in local and regional examinations but are unable to defend it, since they did not burn late night candles at both ends like their contemporaries. The strike often embarked on by our teachers is a menace to the development of the educational sector. The government imparticular should accede to their demands so as to inhibit future occurrence.

            The sector should be overhauled so that only those qualified should teach. There should be a benchmark on the entry level.

With the proliferation of private schools in our country (although very few are     approved), quacks have been brought into the profession and are paid peanuts, since they are not having the necessary qualification(s). The federal and state government as well as other stakeholders in the sector should come out with a white paper on the minimum salary for practitioners so as to encourage them.

            Finally on this, the sector can generate income for the economy by putting the necessary measures in place so that foreigners can come and study. Grants should be given to teachers in tertiary institutions as a way of supporting their research projects. Teachers are respectable people in the world because they are the driving force for the economy of any nation.

Let us invest in them.