World Teachers’ Day: NTI Introduces 1-Year Mandatory Internship for Teachers

The Director-General, National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, Prof. Musa Maitafsir, says the institute plans to introduce a mandatory 1-year Teacher Internship Programme by January 2024.

Maitafsir disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when he addressed newsmen to mark the 2023 World Teachers’ Day.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the day had as its theme, ‘The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.’

NAN also reported that the day which was held annually on October 5 since 1994, was observed to commemorate the adoption of 1996 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of teachers.

The day also focuses on the rights, responsibilities and standards of teachers’ initial preparation and further education, recruitment and employment.

Expantiating on the planned internship programme, the DG said that it would be introduced in partnership with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria.

He further stated that the programme was initiated in compliance with Section ‘C’ sub-section (1), page 21 of the National Teacher Education Policy (2014).

It states: ”After graduation from any teacher education programme, every new teacher shall be registered by the TRCN after at least one year of successful internship and mentoring to qualify for licence.”

Maitafsir said that the internship was a mandatory programme that was expected to last for a year for the holders of the Nigeria Certificate in Education, Bachelor of Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy in education.

He added: “The duration of one year is similar to internship programmes of other professions like Law and Medicine.

“This will be operated in two diets, March and November of each year before or after the commencement of NYSC by those with degree certificates.”

Maitafsir, however, said that the programme would only be applicable to would-be teachers and not those that have already been inducted by TRCN and given its certificate.

He said that the programme would acquaint the ‘trainee teachers with the practical knowledge of teaching and learning process.

“They include e-facilitation and teacher integration in teaching skills, psycho–principles of commitment of teaching and delivery, and retention techniques.

“Others are aesthetics and conventional wrong skills, entrepreneurship education skills and monthly teachers’ acculturation lectures”, Maitafsir said.

According to the DG, on successful completion of the programme, the trainees would be awarded a ‘Teacher Internship Certificate’ that would qualify them for TRCN’s induction and certification.

Maitafsir said that all the interns would pay an application fee of N7,000 and an internship fee of N50,000.

He added that the programme would be run at the institute’s headquarters in Kaduna State and the six geo-political zones in the country.

Maitafsir further stated that the programme would go a long way in advancing teaching and learning in Nigeria.

He added: “It will certainly help in producing highly motivated, efficient and effective teachers for our schools.

“FME, NTI, TRCN and all other relevant stakeholders should have their hands on deck to ensure the successful implementation of the programme as enshrined in NTEP.

“The teaching profession in Nigeria had, over the years, been intruded on by unqualified individuals making it an all-comers job and just a stepping stone to other jobs.

“There is the need to ensure that only qualified individuals are engaged as teachers to teach in schools.”

According to Maitafsir, for teaching to be fully professionalised in Nigeria, there was a need for such a compulsory internship programme for the teachers.

He explained that the programme would ensure that only individuals that had passed through it would be licensed and called teachers and then be allowed to practise the profession.

NAN